Dalia's Kitchen: November 2010

Homemade Penne al Pesto

I love pasta, and love even more how Italians have pasta as a starter to their main course- they simply know how to eat beautifully :) On our honeymoon, Phiras and I had Pesto Genovese from Genoa, where the original pesto sauce comes from, and it really was something.. This spinach pesto gives the pasta sauce and extra touch, and is incredibly creamy.. You will be licking your fingers - trust me.. And I love how everything is cooked in one pot.. Easy and delicious!

Easy. Prep & Cook Time: ~25mins

Serves 2

250g penne or rigatoni
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
~1 cup of fresh basil leaves
~1 cup baby spinach
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup pasta water
pinch of salt and sugar

In one large pot, toast the pine nuts and garlic for a few minutes, just until they get a little color.. Add them to a food processor with the basil, spinach, olive oil, parmesan, nutmeg, pepper, salt, sugar and blend until smooth.. In the mean time, boil water with a little salt in the same pot, and cook the pasta as directed, until it is al dente (done, but with a little bite to it).. Once it's ready, keep 1/4 cup of the boiling water, then drain the pasta.. Pour the pesto in the pot, add the hot water, then toss the pasta and just heat through for a few minutes.. Serve immediately and garnish with a few more basil leaves.. Buon Appetito!

Sausage Frittata

I can't believe we are almost in December.. This year simply flew by and didn't have enough months.. It's the start of the week in Dubai and everyone is running around trying to finish things up before the holidays, so it's another busy bee week which means hearty breakfast time.. As I looked through my fridge this morning I found German sausages, eggs and tomatoes.. Instead of doing the usual eggs and sausage, I decided on making this baked frittata.. Delicious!

Easy. Prep & Cook Time: ~20minutes

Serves 2

6 organic eggs
4 Bockwurst sausages, cut into round slices
half a pack of cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
2 TBL crème fraiche
2 TBL grated cheddar
salt and pepper to taste
a little chopped chives to garnish

Preheat the oven to 200C (on the broiler function).. In bowl, whisk the eggs with the crème fraiche, salt and pepper.. Sauté the sausages and once they have a little color add the egg mixture.. Sprinkle with cheddar and place the tomatoes on top, keep the pan on the heat for another minute or so, then place it in the oven for 5 - 7 minutes.. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with chives and enjoy!

Mediterranean Baked Feta

I was in Beirut last week, tasting the menu for lovely Karim, who is launching a new delicious restaurant.. He asked what kind of starter dish would fit on the menu, and I though of this yummy feta bake.. The first time I tried this I was in Mykonos with Phiras, at a beautiful beach restaurant called Namos.. And it has been a D's Kitchen favourite since! The moment you open this lovely baked parcel, the aromas of the cheese, tomatoes and oil just ooze out of it.. You can serve this as a starter or aperitivo snack at any time of the day really.. I had it for lunch today.. Beautiful!

Easy. Prep & Cook Time: ~30mins

Serves 2 - 3 persons

200g feta cheese, cut into cubes
half a pack of cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
one pepper (any color you like), cut in thin slices
3 TBL extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
a few fresh basil leaves, chopped
cracked pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 200C.. In a bowl, toss all the ingredients gently.. Lay out a sheet of aluminum foil on a baking tray and place the feta mixture in the middle.. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top, and fold the foil like a little parcel.. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and serve immediately (open the delicious little parcel at the table for some va-va-voum!).. Sprinkle with some more fresh basil if you like and serve with toasted bread.. Enjoy!

(you can add 1/2 a chopped clove of garlic if you;re up for it ;)

French Onion Soup

Yesterday Phiras made a big pot of beef stock.. Everything just tastes completely different when stock is homemade, and even though it takes time to do it, it's well worth it.. So I was looking around the kitchen to see what we could have for dinner, using this beautiful stock, I decided on French Onion Soup, where the stock makes all the difference in taste.. And truly, we had the best soup for dinner.. Of course you can use store bought stock, it's still delicious and MUCH less time consuming..

Easy. Prep & Cook Time: ~60mins

Serves 4

8 medium sized onions, sliced very thinly
2 TBL olive oil
2 TBL butter
1 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tsp brown sugar
1 TBL Worcester sauce
1/4 cup cognac
3 cup hot beef stock
1 cup hot water
salt and pepper to taste
4 slices pain de campagne bread, toasted
1 cup of grated gruyere cheese
chives to sprinkle

Heat the olive oil and butter in a pot.. Add the onions, salt, pepper, sugar, thyme and bay leaf.. Sauté the onions until they are slightly caramelized and golden in color.. Deglaze with the cognac, add the stock, hot water, Worcester sauce and simmer on low-medium heat for about 30 minutes.. Remove the bay leaf before serving..

There are two ways of doing the following step, either in the oven or melting the cheese over a grill toaster.. If you have oven proof soup ware, place the breads on top of the soup, place gruyere generously on top then sprinkle with chives, place in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.. The easier version is to just place the melted cheese and chive breads on the soups right before serving.. Bon Appétit!

Granola Cup & Berry Coulis

picture by Jovana Obradovic for ITP publishing

It has been one of the busiest weeks ever.. There just aren’t enough hours during the day to get everything done, so it’s all about the hearty breakfasts for the early birds these days..

And thank you for all the lovely messages from those who tried the blueberry pancakes.. It seems so many of you tried and loved them.. x

(As featured in Harper's Bazaar Arabia's October Issue)

Serves 2

2 cups Fromage Frais (you can use Greek yoghurt instead)
2 tbsp honey
1 cup granola (homemade see recipe, or store bought)
1 cup mixed berries
1 tbsp powdered sugar

In a saucepan heat the berries and the powdered sugar. Cook over medium heat until they soften up and release their juices. Set aside and let it cool. In a bowl, mix the fromage frais and the honey until smooth and set aside. Fill the cup 1/3 with granola, then add the yoghurt, and top with the berry coulis.

Eggs Florentine with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & homemade Hollandaise

picture by Jovana Obradovic for ITP publishing

This week I'm posting recipes from the fabulous Harper's Bazaar Arabia October feature.. As you know I love eggs, and one of the best combinations ever, must be spinach and eggs.. I like the sweet, sour taste the sundried tomatoes give the traditional Florentine, you can also substitute with portobello mushrooms or anything that appeals to you..

Serves 2

4 organic eggs
1 pack of baby spinach
4 sundried tomatoes
4 toasted English muffins or bagels
For the Hollandaise:
4 tbsp vinegar
4 egg yolks
100 g of butter
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and cracked pepper to taste

In a saucepan, heat 3 tbsp of vinegar and a little cracked pepper. When almost evaporated, add the egg yolks and whisk continuously until you have a creamy consistency. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the butter slowly while continuing to whisk. Put it back on the heat and finish with lemon juice, salt, pepper to taste, and set your sauce aside.
In a pan, heat a little butter and olive oil, and sauté the spinach for a minute or so, just until it wilts a little (don’t forget to season). Place the spinach on top of the toasted muffins, and add the sundried tomatoes. To poach your eggs, use a pan deep enough to cover the eggs with water. Add one tablespoon of vinegar (this helps to keep the egg in one piece) and bring the water to a slight simmer. Crack each egg into a small cup and gently descend it in the water. Poach the eggs for about 2 - 3 minutes, then gently remove with a slotted spoon.

Drain the eggs on a plate with paper towels before serving. Place one egg on each spinach and tomato muffin, drizzle with the hollandaise sauce, and your Eggs Florentine are ready to be served!

Blueberry Pancakes with whipped Praline Butter

picture by Jovana Obradovic for ITP Publishing

Good Morning Dubai :) I've been up since the crack of dawn trying to make sure I get everything done today as it's the end of the week.. And there's nothing better than to kick start the day with freshly brewed coffee and my beautiful blueberry pancakes.. If you're not into blueberries, substitute with bananas.. It's scrumptious! (As featured in Harper's Bazaar Arabia's October Issue)

Makes 6 pancakes

2 cups self raising flour
2 eggs
1 ½ cup buttermilk (you can use milk and 1 ½ tbsp white vinegar instead)
2 tbsp soft butter
4 tbsp white sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
squeeze of lemon juice
170g blueberries
praline butter:
100g butter
50g pecans
4 tbsp icing sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
¼ tsp all spice

In a food processor, mix the butter, icing sugar, maple syrup, all spice and pecans. Once it’s smooth, wrap it in cling film and refrigerate until you are ready to serve your pancakes. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar and lemon, and add one egg at a time. Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the egg mixture in two parts, and finish by gently folding in the blueberries.

Heat a little butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Scoop a large dollop of the batter onto the pan, and cook until both sides are golden brown. Serve the pancakes hot with a slice of praline butter and some maple syrup. Bon Appétit!

Newer Posts

Older Posts

Homemade Penne al Pesto

Sausage Frittata

Mediterranean Baked Feta

French Onion Soup

Granola Cup & Berry Coulis

Eggs Florentine with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & homemade Hollandaise

Blueberry Pancakes with whipped Praline Butter

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