Dalia's Kitchen: October 2010

Warm Lentil Salad

I don't know why but I was craving lentils for some kind of reason.. So from the moment I woke up, I knew that was going to be lunch.. A simple, delicious little lentil salad which reminded me of Paris (it's a staple in many Parisian cafes).. Lovely!

Easy. Prep & Cook Time: ~50mins

Serves 2

1/2 cup brown lentils
2 1/2 cups water
3 TBL Worcester sauce
2 carrots, chopped in small pieces
1 onion, chopped finely
salt and cracked pepper to taste

basic vinaigrette:

1 TBL Dijon mustard
2 TBL vinegar (cider or wine)
3 TBL sunflower or nut oil
3 TBL olive oil
pinch of sugar, salt and pepper

Soak the lentils in water for about 15 minutes.. Then, in a sauce pan brown the onions slightly, add the carrots, tomatoes and half the parsley.. Sauté them for a few minutes, then add the lentils, water, Worcester sauce, salt and pepper to taste.. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally, then cook uncovered for another 10 - 15 minutes.. Spoon the lentils on the plate, sprinkle with the remaining parsley and drizzle with some olive oil and vinaigrette.. Bon Appétit!

Griessbrei or Sweet Polenta with Cinnamon & Nuts

I have somewhat of an identity crisis, a good one though, as I feel blessed to have such a diverse background.. I'm Syrian, born in London, spent the first 3 years of my life in Germany, moved to Paris, then to New York for my college years.. I speak German with the family (yes it's my first language, followed by English, French, a broken Arabic and Spanish), and the reason I'm saying all this is because I love German food - trust me they have some good stuff.. And there are these few dishes, which remind me of my childhood, one of them is Griessbrei..

As I was cooking up the polenta, which is very similar to Griess, I remembered how my siblings and I would devour heaps of it when we were younger.. It's unfortunate that we all don't live in the same city anymore, I miss having them around every day.. But who knows, maybe one day we will.. Fingers crossed!! In the meantime the Griessbrei will have to do :)

Serves 3 - 4

1/2 cup of polenta
2 cups of low fat milk
4 TBL of brown sugar
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt
2 TBL of butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 TBL of roasted pecans

In a saucepan, heat the milk, water, salt, 3 TBL of the brown sugar and nutmeg.. Bring it to a slight boil, then add the polenta.. Stir continuously, until the polenta thickens (until it resembles a pudding or custard).. Then pour the polenta in the ramekins and set aside..

Melt the butter in a pan, add 1 TBL of brown sugar, cinnamon, combine well, and cook for a few minutes.. Add the pecans, stir and top each of the polenta pots with the nut mixture.. You can serve it warm or cold.. Enjoy!

(You can add more milk if you like it a little more runny, and sweeten to your liking..Also tastes great with some chopped fruits on top)

For Megdo.. Who inspired me to get into the kitchen..

A while back I posted from Damascus, and about my incredible Granny Megdo and her amazing cooking.. She passed in her sleep last Friday.. Please don't see this is as a sad post, on the contrary, this is part of life and after all passing in one's sleep at an old age is the most peaceful way to go.. She saw her great grand children, and led a full, happy life filled with so much love.. Needless to say that sadness and the pain of missing someone will always be part of saying a final goodbye, especially for my mom, aunt and uncle who all loved her so very, very much..

I created this blog because of my love for food.. And my earliest memories in the kitchen have Megdo cooking up some incredible feast when we would visit her in Damascus.. She was known in all of Damascus for her phenomenal cooking.. She did a lot of charity work and opened her house once a week to feed the hungry.. She taught my mom and aunt to be such fabulous domestic divas.. And my mom passed on her love for food to us of course.. So the reason for the post today is because Megdo is the root of my love for food.. D's Kitchen is a food blog, and has become a part of me, of my every day life, my own little journal in a way.. And today, after returning from Damascus I felt like sharing that I had the best Teta one could ever wish for.. I will miss you Megdo.. Love always, D

Juicy Turkey Breast and Sweet Carrots

It's been a hell of a week, setting up yet another bakery and moving to a new home.. I have been up and running since the crack of dawn and only getting home quite late in the evening, which means that I'm just too tired to cook dinner.. But I miss my little kitchen, and not cooking regularly makes me loose my balance.. It's therapeutic for me, especially when there is so much going on. So yesterday, in between meetings, I went home for a quick hour and made myself lunch :)

Serves 2

2 turkey breasts
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pack of baby carrots, sliced in half
1 pack of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 TBL Dijon mustard
a few fresh sage leaves
1 tsp of brown sugar
1/2 cup of chicken stock

Preheat oven to 200C

Rub the turkey breasts with the Dijon mustard, season with salt, pepper and set aside.. In sauce pan, heat some olive oil and butter, brown the onions, add the carrots, and sauté for a few minutes before adding the chicken stock.. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes (stirring occasionally), or until the carrots are slightly tender.. Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and cook for another few minutes..

In a pan (griddle pan if you have), heat some olive oil and butter.. Sauté a few sage leaves, then sear the turkey breasts for a minute on each side, and place them in the oven for about 7 - 8 minutes.. Once they're done, place one breast per plate and add a generous amount of the sweet veggies.. Enjoy!

Egg Omelette with Sumac

I'm spending a quickie weekend at my lovely in laws in Lebanon.. We had a beautiful traditional Lebanese breakfast with eggs, cheese, kaak, zaatar and labne.. Delicious!

Serves 2 - 3

5 organic eggs
2 TBL labne
1/2 tsp sumac
knob of butter
salt and cracked pepper to taste

Crack the eggs in a bowl, and whisk them with the labne.. In a pan, melt a knob of butter and let it brown a little before you add the egg mixture.. Fry the omelet to your desired doneness (I like it a little moist), and sprinkle it with the sumac just before you fold it.. Season with salt and pepper, slice some tomatoes and cucumbers and serve immediately.. Enjoy!

Quick Morning Oatmeal Bowl

I have a really long day ahead.. Driving to AD for work, then to Dubai for a bunch of meetings back to back, and a dance class with the ladies in the evening.. A fun little way to shake it and get some long needed exercise.. (I will dance tonight Rasha sweets - you'll see :) So I felt like a nourishing breakfast and thought of making myself a little oatmeal bowl before I kick-start the day..

Serves 2

2 cups of low fat milk
1 cup of oatmeal (the quick cooking kind)
2 TBL brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBL crushed pecans (for more flavor, roast pecans for a few minutes in the oven before crushing)
a few raspberries
a little honey to drizzle

In a saucepan, heat the milk until it comes to a slight boil, then add the oats and cook for a minute or so before adding salt, sugar and cinnamon.. Cook for another minute or two, then take the pan off the heat.. Divide the oatmeal into two bowls or ramekins, place a few raspberries, sprinkle with the crushed pecans and drizzle with a little honey.. Quick, simple and morning yumminess!

Creamy Mushroom Ravioli

It's time for pasta! Creamy, yet not too creamy, and the mushrooms are just divine.. Literally.. And when I come to think about it, a mushroom cream sauce is actually one of the first few things I learned to cook when I was younger.. Nothing like this of course, I emptied a carton of cream and added canned mushrooms.. I was young and foolish but I already knew back then that mushrooms and cream are just a perfect combination!

Serves 2

1 pack (about 370g) Fresh Ravioli, ideally cheese & truffle filling but use other flavors if you can't find it
1 crushed garlic clove
1/3 cup white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup light cooking cream (you can be decadent and use full cream if you wish of course)
1 TBL mustard
2 TBL chopped parsley
salt and cracked pepper

In a saucer, heat a little olive oil, butter and cook the garlic for just a minute or so, then add the mushrooms.. Sautee them for a few minutes, then deglaze with the wine.. Cook for another minute or so, pour the stock and let it simmer for a bit.. Add the cream, mustard, salt and pepper to taste and let it cook for about 7 - 8 minutes stirring constantly..

In the mean time, cook the ravioli al dente as per instructions on the pack, and set aside.. Once the mushroom sauce has thickened a little, add the parsley and ravioli.. Cook for just a minute to heat the pasta through the sauce, and serve immediately! Voila.. Delicious Mushroom Ravioli!

Quick Asian Crayfish Salad

I've been so incredibly busy this past week, running around like a headless chicken, that I haven't had enough time to spend in my beloved kitchen.. And I really feel like my little weight gain is due to me eating out more than usual, so yesterday I made a point of having an easy and home made salad for lunch.. I literally went home for an hour, whipped up a quick salad and went back to work :)

Serves 1

about 120g of cooked crayfish tails (you can find them in the Seafood section at Waitrose)
1 avocado, peeled & halved
lettuce of your choice
sesame and spring onions to sprinkle

for the dressing:

1 tsp wasabi
1 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 TBL sunflower oil
1 TBL light soya
1 TBL rice vinegar
1 TBL lemon juice
cracked pepper to taste

Mix the wasabi and vinegar, add the soya, sesame oil, lemon juice and sunflower oil.. Blend everything well and set aside.. Plate the lettuce, place the avocado halves and the crayfish tails.. Pour the dressing over the salad and sprinkle with sesame and spring onion.. Bon Appétit!

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

I absolutely love potatoes.. Baked, mashed, sautéed, in a gratin, or roasted like these ones.. So simple to make yet incredibly tasty and a perfect side to any dish!

Serves 2 - 3

1 bag of small yellow potatoes (Yukon gold or similar), halved
1 garlic clove, crushed
about 2 TBL olive oil
2 TBL fresh rosemary
salt and cracked pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 180C

In a bowl, toss the potatoes with oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and cracked pepper.. Lay them out on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.. Toss them around in the tray a little, and bake for another 20 minutes or so.. Lovely!

Newer Posts

Older Posts

Warm Lentil Salad

Griessbrei or Sweet Polenta with Cinnamon & Nuts

For Megdo.. Who inspired me to get into the kitchen..

Juicy Turkey Breast and Sweet Carrots

Egg Omelette with Sumac

Quick Morning Oatmeal Bowl

Creamy Mushroom Ravioli

Quick Asian Crayfish Salad

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

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