Category Archives: main dish

Makhlouta (mix grains soup)

Posted on February 11, 2016 | 3 comments

Mixed is the literal translation for the word “makhlouta”. This traditional Lebanese soup consists of a medley of chickpeas, pinto beans (or any bean of your choice), lentils and bulgur. A great source of proteins and iron to serve well for people abstaining from eating meat during the lent period.

If you are vegetarian and this is your first introduction to makhlouta, trust me it will be on your to do list from now on. The ingredients look simple but the outcome is deep in flavor.

You will need:

1 cup chickpeas
1 cup beans (of your choice but usually it’s pinto beans)
1 cup lentils
1/2 cup bulgur
2 big onions finely diced
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
cumin powder for seasoning (optional)

Soak chickpeas and beans for overnight or at least 12 hours to double in size.

In a deep pot fry the onions in olive oil until tender and fragrant. When they start turning into golden brown color, drain out chickpeas and beans from water and add them to the onion then the lentils and bulgur. Pour 2 liters of water and cook on medium heat. When it starts boiling, reduce to low heat, cover the pot and let it simmer for an hour. If the water reduces feel free to add some more. The level of water should be always 2-3cm above the grains.

Serve hot with a sprinkle of cumin, it gives a nice deep flavor and helps with the digestion of the grains later. Some people like to add lemon juice for this purpose.

This delicious soup serves 4-6 plates. It’s not an entree like other soups, lebanese people serve it as a main dish as it is so filling! It’s a hearty soup served in old days during winter to supply with the energy needed.

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Posted in main dish

Tagged bulgur, chickpeas, cumin, hearty soup, jaymmy, lebanese traditional food, lentils, makhlouta, marmite et ponpon, mix grains, pinto beans, recipe, soup, vegetarian

Moghrabyeh (semolina dough grains)

Posted on January 19, 2016 | Leave a comment

Lebanese cuisine gained its reputation for the mezzeh, tabbouleh and raw meat…. But if you are fan of hard core Lebanese food, Moghrabyeh should be one of your favorites.

Moghrabyeh, are grains (shaped like small balls) made of semolina, available as dry or frozen. This dish is deep in flavor due to caraway and cumin seasoning. You can prepare it with chicken (thighs or breast) or beef shank (aka mawzet) or even both. My recipe calls for chicken, the most common one.

For those who thinks it’s hard to prepare this dish, follow me step by step you will change your mind.

Step1: cooking the chicken

Ingredients:

1 1/2 kg chicken (10 pieces approximately), thighs or breast
1tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground caraway
1 tbsp cumin powder
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Season the chicken pieces with salt, caraway and cumin. Fry in butter and oil until golden brown (about 5 minutes each side). The reason to mix butter with oil beside the lovely taste, the oil helps the butter not to get burnt quickly.

Step2: cooking chick peas and onions

Ingredients:

10 small onions
2 cups chick peas canned
1 tbsp butter

Fry onions with butter until tender and fragrant, then add the chick peas and fold together for about 2 minutes.

Step 3: making the broth

Add the onions and chick peas to the chicken. Pour 6 cups of water. Put a small cinnamon stick and simmer for 30 minutes to get a chicken broth.

Step4: Preparing the moghrabyeh grain and the sauce

Ingredients:

1kg of dry moghrabyeh
1 tbsp butter
3 cups of the chicken broth
5 cups of hot water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground caraway
1/2 tsp cumin powder

Remove the chicken from the broth. In a deep pot put the moghrabyeh grains and cover with 3 cups of the chicken broth already prepared and 5 cups of hot water. Put the butter, salt, caraway and cumin. Cover the pot and put it aside until the moghrabyeh gets tender in texture like pasta.

With the remaining broth, add one tbsp flour and 1/2 tsp of cumin powder, cook on medium low heat to thicken. Keep in it the chick peas and onions.

Serve the moghrabyeh grains with the chicken and sauce.

Astuces:

Put the sauce on individual portions as the moghrabyeh absorb the sauce if it stays long time in it.
If you are cooking frozen moghrabyeh, it’s the same method but requires half of the quantity of broth/water
If you are not willing to use canned chick peas, soak the dry chick peas in water a day before until it doubles in size.

Enjoy this full flavor dish, it’s one of the dishes you can’t enjoy cooked light, make it as it should be done without counting calories. Anyways it’s not an everyday dish.

Recipe courtesy of my mum.

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A lip smacking beef stroganoff

Posted on September 14, 2015 | 4 comments

What a flavorsome savory dish that will grace your table and leave you with enjoyment and comfort. So quick that can be prepared by the time of boiling your tagliatelle. I can promise to soothe your hunger in less than 30 minutes!

It’s a classic russian dish with many variations. My recipe calls for:

500g lean beef strips
1 big onion finely diced
100g butter
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cup beef broth (or water)
1 tbsp mustard
1/3 cup wine
200g mushroom
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and cook the onions slowly until tender (3-4 minutes) , then add the beef strips and brown (3-5 minutes) stirring constantly. Sift in the flour and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the broth (or water) along with the mustard and wine. Let it simmer together for 10 minutes. Finally add the mushroom and cream to cook for 5 minutes all together.

Serve on a bed of tagliatelle or rice. Some people likes it with roasted potatoes too. Sprinkle with chives or parsley and wow your family/guests. I promise you lots of murmuring between them and a another visit sooner than you think.

Having baby Joud with long nights deprived of sleep and living the experience of brotherhood and first year of school for Nady make us need this type of comfort food. I can say at this stage and where we live, good food is the enjoyment for my husband and I.

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

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Tagged beef broth, beef strips, beef stroganoff, cream, food blogger, heavy cream, jaymmy, lean strips, lebanon, marmite et ponpon, mushroom, qatar, recipe, tagliatelle

Baked salmon with avocado salsa

Posted on June 24, 2015 | 3 comments

There is no better reward than this juicy flaky salmon baked to perfection and presented with the co-star avocado sauce.

I am fond of salmon to begin with. This fantastic dish doesn’t require efforts or skills, very easy to do and can be on your quick meals list. Whether you feel lazy or coming back tired after a long day at work, you can serve this dish at your table in less than 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 200°C. Season two salmon fillets with salt (i was preparing a meal for two, you can adjust the ingredients depending on how many persons you are serving). Line your baking dish with a large piece of foil and place them. Squeeze half a lemon to drizzle juice over the fillets and cut the other half in rondelles to place on top as well. Wrap the edges of the foil to keep the salmon moist! Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until flaky and tender.

Meanwile to prepare the sauce you need:

one big avocado
one small onion finely chopped
juice of half a lime
salt to taste
a handful corriander

In a processor pulse the avocado with lime and salt. Once done, fold in the onion and coriander.

Drizzle on top of your pink salmon and enjoy!

For a perfect meal you can serve with mashed potatoes, rice or pasta. I prefer mashed potatoes!

There are so many reasons to get excited about food, salmon and avocado sauce is one of them! It’s a winner for certain 🙂

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Tagged avocado, avocado sauce, baked salmon, coriander, food blogger, jaymmy, lebanon, lime, marmite et ponpon, qatar, salmon, salmon fillets, sauce

Perfect pot roast beef with vegetables and gravy

Posted on June 16, 2015 | Leave a comment

My favorite dish; roast beef with vegetables and gravy. It makes the ultimate Sunday lunch, but since we live in Doha, Friday is the new Sunday.

It’s not as difficult as you think, but it requires time to get everything ready plus the meat has to be rested after cooking for at least half an hour and sliced really thinly for you to enjoy the tenderness. I am not doing it in the oven, as i adapt my mom’s recipe, for a perfect pot roast beef that makes its own succulent gravy.

I chose a topside beef (1.2kg), this cut comes from the inner muscle of the thigh, it’s reasonably tender and very lean so it makes a good roasting joint. Check the meat cuts guide for useful info about the meat to choose.

You will need: (serving 4-6 persons)

1.2kg topside beef
5 garlic cloves roughly crushed
salt and pepper for seasoning
100g butter
1 1/2 cup red wine good quality
1 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp flour

Take your beef out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Make 6-7 small cuts in the meat and stuff them with the crushed garlic. Season all sides with salt and pepper.

In a large pot heat the butter and sear the meat, turning as needed, for about 4-5 minutes on each side (the top and bottom as well), or until the beef is brown. Add the water then wine and bring to boil. When bubbles start to form, cover the pot and lower the heat. Now cook for 75-90 minutes or so depending how well done you want it.

Remove the beef from the pot and let it rest at least half an hour. I recommend 3 hours for better slicing.

Meantime prepare the vegetables you like to serve with the meat, i did carrots and broccoli (steamed then sautéed with butter, salt and pepper), mushroom and corn (out of tins) and sautéed with butter, salt and pepper. and finally potato cubes (fried then sautéed with butter, salt and pepper) you can replace with mashed potato if you like. Some people like to serve it also with peas, green beans and shallots. Choose your veggies to your liking.

To prepare the gravy, take the juices from the pot and add 1 1/2 tbsp of flour to thicken it a bit. (roux style)

Transfer your meat to a cutting board and try to slice it as thin as possible. Serve it with the veggies, potatoes and gravy. I love to have it also with a side salade (green salad with vinaigrette).

I can never get enough of it, i like to have leftovers in a baguette sandwich with dijon mustard, or if i have a remaining gravy i serve it the next day with pasta.

This recipe should go on your cooking list, trust me you will receive lots of compliments and applause for each flavorful bite .

Enjoy xx

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.