Category Archives: main dish

loubyeh bi zeit – vegan flat green beans

Posted on November 13, 2014 | 7 comments

loubyeh bi zeit (loubyeh = green beans, bi zeit = vegan) is a typical lebanese dish. Presented at room temperature as mezze or warm as a main dish accompanied by lebanese bread. It’s one of the wholesome dishes without the aid of the meat. Beans are a healthy option as they are very low in calories, high in fiber and great antioxidants. Usually this dish is prepared with fresh flat green beans.

This rich and deep flavored dish is done with few ingredients. Beside the green beans the rest is considered from the essentials of the levantine and specifically lebanese cuisine. You need:

1 kg flat green beans, wash and trimmed from both ends and cut in half if they are too long.
400g peeled and diced tomato
3 medium onion diced roughly
5 garlic cloves crushed (plus one whole garlic bulb)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup water
salt to taste

Cook the onion and garlic in olive oil until tender and fragrant then add the diced tomatoes. If you like the deep taste of tomato you can add one tbsp of tomato paste, it will give the savory flavor.

Cook for only one minute before adding the green beans and water. Do not forget to put the garlic bulb if you are garlic lovers, the cloves will end up tasting as if caramelized. For me loubyeh bi zeit served by my mother and grandmother comes always with this beautiful bulb (sometimes more than one). Actually i don’t know if i really like it but i always eat it without thinking! It’s like a tradition. But I am sure i like how it looks in the plate 🙂

When it starts to boil bring the heat to low, cover the pot and let it simmer for 20 mns. Remove the lid and turn up the heat to medium high. Let the liquid evaporate and then saute the vegetables until the tomatoes form a thick coating around the beans (about 10 minutes).

Serve it at room temperature or warm as you desire. Eat like a lebanese and try it with raw onion and lebanese bread!

7 Comments

Posted in appetizers & salads, main dish

Tagged blog, cooking, flat green beans, green beans, how to do, jaymmy, lebanes bread, lebanese bread, lebanese dish, lebanese food, loubieh, loubieh bi zeit, loubyeh bzeit, main dish, marmite et ponpon, mezze, recipe

Pretty and practical homemade food ideas for picnic

Posted on November 5, 2014 | 7 comments

It’s now the perfect time for outdoor activities in Doha. Everyone wants to spend as much time as possible and take advantage of the weather especially it won’t be for so long.

I heart picnics! what’s better than throwing a fun picnic with the family and friends, enjoying good homemade food while surrounded by nature. The best thing, we didn’t have to go far to enjoy our picnic, 10 minutes drive and here we are in the beautiful museum park. It was full of people picnicking, but the space was so big that everyone got his private green spot.

I know lot of you find it hard to prepare food for picnic and prefer to buy them ready packed to save the hassle. I will give you great food ideas, so easy and pretty that will make you think twice before having take away.

The aim of this post is not giving detailed recipes but ideas of practical food for picnic and how a small detail makes it look fancy and creative. Yes why not, you can have a casual picnic with beautifully presented food that looks fancy.

1- Grilled Chicken and avocado sandwiches. Very easy to prepare. You can use any type of bread, personally i like beignet bread for its soft texture. Stuff it with the grilled chicken, avocado slices, iceberg lettuce and mayonnaise. You can use any stuffing you like, wrap the sandwich with craft paper and tie it with a twine.

Eh voila the pretty and creative sandwiches yet practical. Now it’s easy to put them in a container or even a zip lock bag.

2- Spinach and Emmental quiche. Any type of flat food prepared in a baking dish and cut in geometric shapes is very easy to be stored, if you don’t like quiche you can have pizza, kibbeh bil sanyeh, tarte….

The best part of lunch is when everyone shares his food. If you are a group of people, no one has too much to prepare, distribute the tasks! This quiche was prepared by my friend Hajar. It was delicious!

3- Pasta, crab and orange salad. Salads are always a hit in picnics. Great as a side or main dish if it has substantial ingredients. Easy to pack in a container and stays fresh up to 4 hours without a fridge.

Salads are colorful and cheerful. Long tubular pasta (casarecce), matching the shape of the crab sticks, orange wedges and corn. Yellow, orange and red go really well with the green backdrop. Serve it with lemon mayo dressing to go with the tangy flavor. There are open ended choices of salads. I am sure everyone has his favorite.

4- Hotdog puff pastry and cheese straws. Very easy and quick especially the puff pastry is ready made. It only takes the time of baking (15 mns almost). You can replace the hotdog with cheese or spinach.

Cutting boards are very practical and beautiful to serve the food. Jamie oliver was a big inspiration in this matter. In previous posts i showed you how to decorate your cutting boards for such presentations.

5- Marbled cake. There should always be at least one dessert to please your sweet tooth especially if you have kids with you. A basic but delicious cake is one option.

It’s so clever to bake them in individual molds for picnic. No need for plates and forks, each can have his part with no mess! One day I will share the detailed recipe (it is Cyril Lignac’s recipe) for this cake because it’s so yummy. Again thank you Hajar for introducing this cake to us.

6- Custard and jello in a jar. This was a fab idea for this type of dessert. You can use any mason jar you have at home, close the lid and here is the most practical dessert ever. It can be any pudding you like.

It was a fun day, we really enjoyed the weather and the green space. It was a great opportunity to play with the kids and unwind after a long busy week.

7 Comments

Posted in appetizers & salads, astuces, dessert, main dish, special occasions

Tagged blog, family, fancy, food, friends, fun, great food ideas for picnic, homemade, homemade food, how to do, jaymmy, kids, marmite et ponpon, picnic, pique nique, practical

Savoury chicken crêpes with creamy mushroom sauce

Posted on October 15, 2014 | 2 comments

These elegant crêpes stuffed with grilled chicken are all you need to indulge in a tender creamy dream. You can make the basic crêpes ahead of time to make this dish served in less than 30 minutes.

To make the batter for these blondies you need: (Nigella lawson recipe)

1 cup flour
1 1/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbsp melted butter

Place the batter in the refrigerator for half an hour before using. This allows the bubbles to subside so they will be less likely to tear during cooking. This batter can stay up to 48h in the fridge. Recipe yields 6x (20cm) crêpes.

For the stuffing and sauce you need:

500g chicken breasts cut in medium stripes
150g mushroom sliced
1 medium onion chopped finely
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
500ml heavy cream
salt to taste
emmental cheese for garnish

In a sauce pan, on a medium heat cook the onion and mushroom with the butter until tender and fragrant. Add the chicken and cook until well done for about 7 minutes then add the cream and wine (optional). When the first bubble starts to form, put heat to low and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken.

Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature before stuffing the crêpes to prevent from tearing. Don’t put too much of the sauce inside the crêpes, they won’t stay as firm.

This quantity is enough for the 6 crêpes. Lay them in the baking dish, drizzle the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle over the cheese to bake in the oven (180°C) for 10-12 minutes.

Savour these golden elegant crêpes and feel love with every bite! Am sure it’s so irresistible that many of you is going to try it!

If you liked this post and you want to see more, don’t think twice to follow this blog and like marmite et ponpon facebook page. Happy reading!

2 Comments

Posted in main dish

Tagged blog, bretonnes, chicken, chicken breasts, cream, crepes, ess than 30 minutes, grilled chicken, how to make, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, mushroom, recipe

chicken fricassée with spaghetti

Posted on October 1, 2014 | 5 comments

“Fricassée” is a method of cooking, when the chicken is sautéed in butter and oil then simmered. It’s an old fashion dish in france and with many variations. It’s a true classic french comfort food. Usually presented with french baguette bread, rice or mashed potatoes. My mum’s recipe is served with spaghetti. When i first made it, my husband fell in love with it. Whenever he craves it he asks me: when are you going to do “your chicken pasta with the yummy sauce”?

For 6 persons recipe you need:

12 pieces of chicken (thighs, drumsticks and breasts)
750g spaghetti
3 1/2 tbsp butter devided
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium carrots diced
1 big onion finely chopped
125g mushroom sliced
1 tbsp nutmeg
1tbsp pepper
1 1/2 tbsp salt
3 tbsp flour
4 cups water

Season chicken on both sides with the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Preheat a large pot and add the vegetable oil and 1 tbsp butter. Fry the chicken until golden brown on both sides, and transfer to a plate. Don’t over crowd the pot, fry the chicken in several batches.

Wipe the pot with a paper towel and add 1 tbsp butter to sautee the onion, carrots and mushroom for 3-4 minutes over medium heat and transfer to a plate.

Again add to the pot the final 1 1/2 tbsp of butter with 3 tbsp of flour and stir until combined and golden, add the water slowly and keep stirring until liquid just thickens (one minute) as if you are doing a roux. if you like silky sauce, you can replace one of the water cups with 1 cup cream. Return the vegetables and chicken to the pot and simmer for 30 minutes.

If you are fan of rice or potatoes, just replace the spaghetti. This dish pairs perfectly with all. Personally i love it like mum used to serve it with spaghetti!

I loved this dish as a child and still consider it one of the most delicious meals my mum used to prepare. Try it, and am sure it will be a staple dish on your menu. Enjoy!!

If you liked this post and you want to see more, follow this blog and like marmite et ponpon facebook page. Happy reading!

5 Comments

Posted in main dish

Tagged bog, braise, chicken fricassee, chicken pasta, classic, comfort food, cooking, fry, how to do, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, old, recipe, roux, simmer, spaghetti

honey ginger glazed chicken

Posted on September 24, 2014 | 8 comments

The most delicious oven roasted chicken you will ever eat! Honey, soy, ginger and garlic combined to make this succulent glaze.

It only takes few minutes to prepare the marinade. Pour it over the chicken and let it rest in the fridge for couple of hours to absorb more moisture and the result is a sweet glazed oven-roasted chicken that is incredibly tender.

Such a luscious and savory lacquered chicken pairs perfect with potatoes, rice or noodles. I had some leftover of sesame ginger rice, it went great together, with the extra glaze i did.

For that you need:

10 pieces of chicken (you can use breasts, thighs, full legs or just drumsticks)
3/4 cup soy
1/2 cup honey
5 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup freshly grated ginger
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil

Combine together all ingredients and pour over the chicken. Keep it in the fridge to marinate at least 2 hours to overnight until time of baking.

Preheat oven 240°C and bake for 45 minutes. Keep an eye on the chicken and be careful not to overcook it.

The sweet smell was filling the house, I was preparing the table to take some pictures (for this post) when Antoun came in from work to have lunch. This is the most challenging part, not letting him dig in before i take the pictures. I only had 3 minutes, I don’t blame him actually, i was in a hurry too, they looked so delicious, they made my mouth water!