Nicolai
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Posts posted by Nicolai
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14 minutes ago, heidih said:
@Nicolai I like the look of rambutan. Do you prefer them to lychee or ? I prefer both ice cold on a hot day. Nice "breakfast" spread.
Lychee has a deeper taste which I like. The Governor prefers the Rambutan and I oblige.
One of my preferred fruits is Mangosteen.
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10 minutes ago, rotuts said:
Well spotted, after a hard night I was a bit perplexed why they have Roquefort for breakfast and was straightened by the Governor that it is the Wensleydale & Cranberries.
https://somerdale.com/product/somerdale-wensleydale-cranberries/
It is a delightful cheese that we both like and enjoy when home in London. We also like the Apricots version. Both are great for breakfast and afternoon tea.
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Another Piggies breakfast.....
- Fresh cut Fruits
- Cheese Plate
- TWG English Breakfast Tea
- Labneh and Feta Cheese
- Foul and condiment
- Eggs Benedict
Off picture: OJ - Croissants et Pain au Chocolat- Jam - Butter - Flat Arabic bread and EVOO.
and then a bit of pool and beach....... it's hard work over weekends......
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5 hours ago, pastameshugana said:
This looks amazing - is that your own recipe or ??
It is very buttery and creamy and gives you a guilt feeling and a stupid smile as you are savoring it.
Unfortunately it is not my recipe and this is the first time I was served an elliptical Mille-Feuille instead ot the classic rectangle shape.
Many classic Pastries have either evolved or became endangered pastries species like the Baba au Rhum and others.
I like the Mille-Feuille jam version with Apricot jam but it fell out of grace and you cannot find it anymore unless very lucky.
© Patisserie La Calèche Constantine
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Italian dinner and no Pizza.......
1- Starters
- Braised Artichokes Alla Romana
(Dressed With Olive Oil,Lemon Juice Melted Anchovies and Parsley
So delectable that we asked for a second serving and the Chef came out to meet us and explain to us the recipe......90 mn in the oven on low.
- Caesar salad
(Roasted Garlic, Focaccia Croutons, Parmesan Cheese,Romaine Lettuce, Anchovy Dressing}
- Bruschetta
{Cherry Tomato, Taggiasca Olives, Burrata Cheese,Basil, Oregano}
2- Main courses
- Petto Di Pollo Ripieno
(Marinated Chicken Breast Stuffed With Turkey Ham And Smoked Provolone Cheese, Bell Pepper Cream, Sautéed Turnip Leaves)
- Agnolotti Alla Piemontese
{Fresh Agnolotti Pasta, Roasted Veal Bacon, Saffron And Cream)
3- Dessert
- Decadent Mille Feuile pour moi.....
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Friday is Asian nite.......
1- Openers
Spring Rolls and Edamame (off Picture)
Satay Beef and Chicken
- Wagyu Beef Salad of some kind
2- Mains
- Vegetables Stir Fry
- Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry
3- Dessert
- Chocolate Molten Lava
- Mango Coconut sticky Rice
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Piggies Breakfast....... for Lazy Sunday.....
- Fresh cut fruits
- Foul Mudamas (Fava Beabs) EVOO - Onions - Parsley - Tomatoes - Cucumbers and Dried Labenh Balls plain and Zaatar - Arabic flat bread
- Eggs Benedict with extra Piggies Bacon
- To sweeten things up, Croissant et Pain au Chocolat
- And to finish, a very strong and sweet Yemen Arabica Mocha coffee
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56 minutes ago, heidih said:
Oh my Oman lobster. Quite envious. I agree local is the way to enjoy. I prefer our local spiny lobster. Season not open yet. The simple preps are my favprite. I never understood the lobster with butter thing. Maybe good mayo dip on the side but I am not the norm. My son did clean up at a local lobster fest and was slathered with fake butter - he tans easily and was brown by the end. You brought back happy memories from Puerto Nuevo, Mexico
Yes. we are in agreement. That's why I ordered my grilled Lobster without any marinade and used the Beurre Blanc as a dip which I barely used. Same with the boiled Lobster.
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Now it is Lobster week..... no more Pizze.....
So we booked this fancy beach side restaurant to enjoy Oman Lobsters. The Oman Lobsters are small in size but the meat is sweet and juicy and very tasteful.
The Main Lobsters are of course famous but they tend to travel with lot of lost luggage......I mean lost taste.
Sp obviously, freshness beats fame.
We started with sharing a Green salad Balsamic Vinaigrette
and followed for my better half with a grilled Lobster marinated with Beurre Blanc Provençale which is a design mess.
and pour moi , I ordered a grill Lobster with no marinade but The sauce of Lemon Beurre Bland on the side as well as the sides on the side......(.I know sides on the sides sounds goofy).
Dessert was a real Tiramisu with Kahlua but I prefer our golden girl Tiramisu made with a three quarter bottle of Mozart Liqueur.......followed with a long nap.
Fast forward couple of days later....... a Lobster shack, a hole in the wall eatery which offers Lobsters. So we dived in and you will have to guess which food joint was better
Same Oman Lobsters but boiled instead of grilled and no side frills except either French Fries or steamed baby potatoes.
The sauce was crude liquid butter with Lemon and black Pepper or liquid Butter and Garlic.
You get a pair of surgical gloves, a plastic Bib and a pair of scissors. The Lobster comes in a plastic bag and you pour the butter in and shake and empty the bag straight on the plastic table cloth .
Ughhhh, You get wet wipes to clean up......
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2 hours ago, heidih said:
Interesting - so the bresaola and rocket? were put on the baked base after?
Cold pizza is standard hangover cure for college fraternity boys in the US
I can't think about Panna Cotta without remembering from 1000 Days in Tuscany by Marlena de Blasi :
"I do that only with some of Assunta's milk. Can't make a decent panna cotta with pasteurized milk,"
Assunta is a blue eyed cow and the milk is from the morning milk.
Under the Bresaola and rocket blanket lies a bed of marinara sauce and mozzarella. I also cheated and had Parmesan shavings on top for good measure.
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August seems to be the Pizza month...... and it is quiet late diner time......
- Vegeterian Pizza: Courgettes - Aubergines - Onions - Red and Yellow Bell Peppers....etc
- Bresaola Pizza
Dessert:
- Raspberry Panna Cotta
- Strawberry Cheesecake
Do you eat cold left over pizza the day after. I confess I do. It is a great hangover cure........until brunch that is......
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22 minutes ago, heidih said:
@Nicolai Ha you seem to be the dessert guy. Do you pace your delicious meals based on the dessert offerings?
LoL. Yes, I do.I sometimes count how many Eclairs fit in a tray to help me go to sleep....
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It's Italy then it's a Pizza.
I feel rather sorry for the Italian as their food is so superior and they are the ones who taught France how to cook by non other than Catherine de’ Medici.
OK, It is debatable as how much she was responsible for but let's go with the myth......
And all we have left for the masses is the double P which is Pasta and Pizza.......what a shame!
1- Starter
Burrata with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil
2- Pizze
- Marinara
- Margherita Fior di Latte and Pecorino
3- Dessert....Certo....
Almond Chocolate cake topped with Hazelnut Ice Cream
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5 hours ago, shain said:
@Nicolai Any chance you recall the name of the village or restaurant? Looks superb.
Apologies: The learned one corrected me as the restaurant was in Kos and not Crete.
Unfortunately. I don't remember the name of the mountain village. We drove from the beach which I can't even remember the name and did not use a GPS just kept driving up the mountains to nowhere and ended around lunch time in this very small village on a Sunday after prayers.
I have more pictures but they are in another house. I wonder if any Greek person can guess where I shot this picture with the mountain trees the ravine and the sea?
I am a big fan of Greece islands and the places we used to go like Mykonos Kos Lesbos did not have a single hotel at that time and you had to either sleep on the yacht or at the local friend houses.
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Γεια σου (Ya Sou). Love Greece and Greek food......Uggh people as well outside Athens that is.
If you wish to have a proper meal, go with a native.
My better half and I were touring the mountains somewhere in Cretia and there was this little hamlet like the ones in postcards. We stopped for lunch in a picturesque restaurant overlooking the ravine and the mountains. Nobody spoke English or French or German or Italian and I speak Chinese dialect only after midnight.
There was no way we could decipher the menu and seated at a big table were some locals and they were joined by the village priest. The food that was served was extremely appetizing......I ask the lady owner to serve us the same dishes and Zeus opened the heaven vanes of taste.
Back to earth, we visited a local Greek restaurant and we had:
1- Starters
- Perivoli Salad with Greek Elassona cheese and baby spinach....etc
- Dipping Platter of Tzatziki, Fava, Tirokafteri and Eggplant with a helping of Pitta bread
- Kolokythokeftedes the most unpronounceable dish ever of zucchini fritters with Greek Yogurt
2- Main
- Spinach Pie with Feta cheese
- Chicken Gyros with tzatziki
- and the ubiquitous Kebab Souvlaki
3- Dessert
Then things got serious with the syrup dripping Galaktoboureko and Portolakopita (off picture)
- Rice Pudding with Coconut milk and Cinnamon topped with Cherry Jam and frsh black Cherries. My creation called Piggies Rice Pud.
- And to wash it all, a designer artsy Watermelon
Sadly there was no whipped cream or Crème Chantilly. That's it, I am going to Linz......
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11 minutes ago, liuzhou said:
An emergency dinner.
Last night, I stood up from my desk to go to bed and the next thing I knew I was lying on the floor with my chair on top of me, my electric fan beside me and other stuff all in the wrong place. I have no idea what happened.
Anyway, I woke up this morning, to find that my left foot was no longer functional. I suspected broken toes, but after limping, hobbling and muttering all the way to the local quackery, an X-ray decided the bones are intact but the flesh is severely bruised.
Point being that I am virtually immobile for a few days. So dinner was not what I had planned, but I soldiered on on one leg and came up with something. Fortunately, the seafood place lies between my place and the lair of the white-coated medical torturers! And they provided me with a chair when they saw my difficulty. One young lady even offered to carry my meagre purchases home for me.Wishing you a prompt recovery.
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3 hours ago, liuzhou said:
Food has been political since the beginning of mankind!
Unfortunately, you are correct. He who controls food controls destiny.
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13 hours ago, shain said:
That's a Lebanese way of eating it. I always found it interesting, but couldn't bring myself to make such sandwich. I might be able to eat a quarter of one, then fall asleep
The version common here is made with kadayif pastry, and that's the one I prefer. The local version also usually have two pastry layers, but this I don't care about.
Falling asleep is compulsory and so niceeeeeeeeeeeee.
As for the version you mention, this is similar to Shawarma which took a variation on the original one with Lamb meat.
Knafe bel Jebn is offered in a myriad of taste and combinations including Nutella!!!!!
I am debating the value of deep fried Knafe from frozen state!!!!!
Shawarma fell under the same trap. I tasted Lamb - Beef - Chicken - Shrimps - Sojuk and......
I have never ever seen Shawarma in any other country besides Lebanon in the olden days. It was nowhere to be seen from Turkey to Egypt and the Levant.
As far as I am concerned, Shawarma was born in Lebanon and only available in Lebanon before the usual culinary appropriation of Turkey who claim it is their dish cooked on a horizontal spit. They even claim the name is Turkish.
The name is not and never has been Turkish. It is Lebanese from the amalgamation of Shawa which means to grill and Awarma which is a typical local dish which is type of dry confit version of Lamb mince to be kept for the winter season. So it is Shawarman i.e Shawa Awarma.
Now try to explain this to billions of consumers. Food enters the political arena.
Knafe bel Jebn is Palestinian. Shawarma is Lebanese. Lahm bel Ajeen is Armenian. Foul and Taamia is Egyptian and Falafel is Levant fare.
End of rant......
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1 hour ago, heidih said:
First I like the phrase "prepared my way" bravo. The parsley heavy tabbouleh is my favorite and the chickpea addition in the shakshouka appeals - will try.
I like the Tabouleh with little crushed wheat and more parsley and lemon juice. Also a pinch of red hot powder pepper.
The Shakshouka is soften onions and garlic paste with the chickpeas slightly toasted in. Add the tomatoes plus tomatoes concentrate and lots of Cumin plus black ground pepper plus Aleppo ground Pepper plus salt plus Cayenne pepper plus Celery salt. All Chef's measure but go heavy on the Cumin and start sweating your forehead......
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1 hour ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:
These two alone make a superb supper for me. Many thanks. And that hummus presentation is stunning!
Glad you like them.
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32 minutes ago, kayb said:
I have no idea what either of those desserts are, but man, they look wonderful.
The square one is called Knafe bel Jebn. The top layer is semolina based which was toasted as thin strands and pounded. The second layer is unsalted white cheese.
The cooking is akin a Tarte Tatin whereby it is cooked upside down and then reversed and doused with Sugar syrup and served with a sesame bread type.
The origin of the dish is Palestinian using the local cheese from Nablus. A Syrian pastry maker set up shop in Paletine Nablus with a local Palestinian and they made Knafe filled with crushes pistachios. The Syrian man went back home and the Palestinian could not afford the pistachios filling and tried the local Nabulsi white unpasteurized cheese and the dish was born.
A famous Lebanese pastry chef visited Nablus and learned how to make the recipe as told to me by his grandson with the picture of his ancestor in the sweet shop in Nablus.
Now the sweet is available with either a cheese filling or clotted cream filling. it is also available in the original fine dough or the coarse stringy dough.
The round one Osmalieh is originated in Lebanon and is made with stringy knafe dough with clotted cream doused with sugar syrup.
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Me think that any meal is just a conduit for dessert.
A typical yanning dinner followed by a princely dessert.
1- Starters
- Tabouleh (my way i.e. prepared to my taste)
- Hummos
Mtabal (my way i.e. prepared to my taste)
2- Main
- Shakshouka (my way i.e. prepared to my taste) which means the addition of chickpeas.
3- Dessert
- Knafe bel Jebn (hot and oozung cheese.....bestest for me)
- Osnalieh
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34 minutes ago, shain said:
Good tip on making sure the zaatar is all mixed with the oil. Zaatar that is heated dry doesn't develop the same flavor, it should essentially fry.
The zaatar I use is one a friend brings to me from Tulkarm. It has good quality zaatar leaves and really darkly toasted sesame,which I like, but it is lighter on the sumac. It's good as is for labneh, eggs etc, but I add more sumac for breads and salads.
Sumac is an amazing spice.
You are correct. The Jordanians and Palestinians like a mellower version of Zaatar. I think they have other spices added I prefer our home made Zaatar but I do like their Zaatar Manakeesh.
Also bear in mind the famous Palestinian dish: Musakham (I posted about it few month ago). This chicken dish has an overload of Sumak.
Unfortunately, they have used Almonds instead of Pine nuts for cost considerations. It is a shame as the Pine nuts have a unique taste impact.
One other dish we have it served at home is Roasted or fried potatoes with chickpeas and tons of Zaatar.
To be gobbled with Arabic bread and cold Arak followed by a nap in the garden.....
Here is an old picture for you. No recipe just cook wisiwig to your taste.......
Try it
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11 hours ago, shain said:
A common easy snack / side which I recommend for zaatar lover is a halved pita bread (as in one pita split into two discs), the inner side scattered with plenty of zaatar and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Put on a grill (from the bottom side only) and heat until crisp and smells like heaven. Best served with labneh and tomatoes, as Nicolai suggested. I like to add extra sumac or a touch lemon.
I would suggest to use the traditional way of mixing the Zaatar with olive oil and then spreading on bread or dough. It does affect the taste.
As for Sumac, this would mean that the Zaatar used is mixed with different spices. Unfortunately, lot of cheating is done to bulk up the quantities.
It is a matter of taste and Lebanese /Syrians like the sourness of Sumac (except Aleppo).
We mix our own Zaatar which is wild Zaatar flower from the monasteries grounds , Sumac berries and toasted sesame + salt.
You are rightly adding Sumac.This places you in the connaisseur league.
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Masgouf
in Middle East & Africa: Cooking & Baking
Posted
Ohhhh. So glad you enjoyed your Masgouf.
I raise a glass to you.