Tag Archives: how to cook

Artichoke stew – easy & quick recipe

Posted on June 11, 2015 | Leave a comment

Lebanese cuisine is one of the ancient cuisine, a result of a blend of many cultures due to the country’s location on the crossroads of three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa. Lebanese cuisine gained its popularity beside the variety and the delicious taste, from being naturally healthy and low in fat. Fresh vegetables and legumes are the staple ingredients in the lebanese dishes especially when we are talking about family cuisine. Specifically stews (yakhné) that are presented with rice vermicelli.

Artichoke stew يخنة آرضي شوكي ورز , is one of my favorite dishes. Very easy to do and so delicious. Knowing the artichoke nutrition facts, you will be making it more often, trust me.

To prepare a meal for 4 persons you will need:

1 kg artichoke hearts, could be frozen or fresh
5 small onion quartered
300g beef cubed (size of a bite)
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
2 tbsp flour
3 cups of water
salt to taste

Follow this step by step method:

In a pot, bring oil to heat and fry the onion until tender and fragrant (2-3 minutes). Add the cubes of beef and cook until brown (3-4 minutes), then the artichoke hearts (cut them in half or 4 if they are too big), cover with water and bring to boil for 5 minutes. In a separate bowl mix well lemon and flour and stir in to have a thicker sauce. Cover the pot and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

For a complete full meal serve with rice vermicelli. Kids usually love this dish. Don’t hesitate to try this simple and healthy recipe. Alf sahtein!

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Spinach and cream cheese lasagna

Posted on May 19, 2015 | 1 comment

Spinach is one of the most versatile vegetables to include in your meals. For a dish perfect in spring, try this delectable spinach and cream cheese lasagna done in no time!

We all know that Popeye made himself super strong by eating spinach. Give your kids the habit to eat healthy and delicious. Among the World’s Healthiest vegetables, spinach comes out at the top of the ranking list for nutrient richness.

To make this lasagna you need:

500g chopped spinach (thawed if frozen)
200g cream cheese
2 cups heavy cream
2 medium onion diced
2 tbsp olive oil
lasagna sheets
1 cup shredded emmental
1 cup shredded parmesan
salt to taste

Bring olive oil to heat and cook the onions until tender and fragrant. Add the spinach and cook until done. Take off the heat add the cream cheese and combine. Stir in the heavy cream.

To assemble, use a rectangular or square casserole dish, keeping in mind that a larger one will produce less layers and a smaller one will produce more.

Start with a layer of spinach cream cheese, lay down pasta sheets, add another layer of spinach cream cheese to cover followed by parmesan. Keep in mind, you will have to divide the cup of parmesan equally in your layers. Repeat (pasta – spinach cream cheese – parmesan) until you finish by a layer of spinach cream cheese and the thick layer of emmental cheese.

Preheat oven on 200°C and bake for 25-30 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

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 blog, chopped spinach, cream cheese, emmental, Emmental cheese, food blogger, heavy cream, how to cook, jaymmy, lasagna, lebanon, marmite et ponpon, parmesan, qatar, recipe, spinach

Baked fish in sesame ginger marinade

Posted on September 17, 2014 | 7 comments

Smell does to discover and enjoy this dish as much as taste. The fragrance reaches the nose before the food reaches the mouth. An Asian inspired dish, rich with the ambrosial ginger, garlic, soy, wasabi, sesame seeds and scallions.

Get ready for a taste of heaven! you will need

1 kg whole fish (800g fish fillet)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp wasabi
1/2 cup olive oil
2 grated garlic cloves
1 1/2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
3 sliced scallions

Whisk together soy, vinegar, brown sugar, wasabi, garlic, ginger and oil.

Make diagonal cuts on both sides of the fish to allow more moisture to be absorbed. When roasting a whole fish always ensure the skin is on.

Line your pan with aluminum foil and greaseproof sheet. Place the fish on the baking sheet and coat it with the marinade then close the edges of the sheet.

Having the baking sheet on aluminum foil will preserve the marination and the fish will stay moist.

Preheat your oven (220°C). Bake for 20 mns. Transfer to a serving plate. Don’t get rid of the juice, drizzle it on the fish and garnish with the sesame seeds and scallions. Serve it alone or with some rice.

Ginger sesame rice to go with this dish.

1 1/4 cup rice
1 tbsp minced ginger
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
2 1/2 cup water

Heat olive oil in sauce pan. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant for 3-4 minutes.

Add rice and water and bring to boil. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, cover the pan with a towel and let it sit for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Toss in the sesame seeds and taste to check if it needs salt.

Dishes with diversified colors and aromatic flavors can usually greatly arouse people’s appetite. It’s hard to describe the amazing taste, you need to try it!

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Tagged aroma, asian, blog, brown sugar, fish, flavor, garlic, ginger, ginger rice, how to cook, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, recipe, rice, roast, scallions, sesame seeds, soy, wasabi

To “nouilles” lovers – (creamy chicken tagliatelle)

Posted on September 2, 2014 | 5 comments

If you try to google “nouilles” without “lebanese” you will not find any recipe near to the one our mums cook. I don’t know why it’s called nouilles it’s not even an arabic word, but you can call it in other words, creamy chicken tagliatelle.

Very simple and easy recipe, but it takes time and care. When you savour it, you will know why it’s one of the favorite dishes for the majority of the lebanese.

The nouilles as we know it: (yields 6-8 servings)

500g tagliatelle
200g ham cut in pieces (optional)
100g parmesan or mozzarella
1 kg chicken (boneless thighs or breast) cut in pieces
1 tbsp butter
1 cup sliced mushroom
1 small onion chopped finely
1/2 cup white wine
salt to taste

For the cream sauce:

4 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
6 tbsp flour
100g butter
salt to taste
dash of nutmeg (optional)

Cook the tagliatelle as per pack instructions for al dente, it will continue cooking in the oven. Drain and keep aside.

Heat the butter and cook the onion and mushrooms until fragrant (3-4 minutes) then add the chicken and keep cooking until almost done. Add the wine (for a deeper flavor) and cook until half the liquid is evaporated.

To make the sauce, heat the butter until melted but not colored. Add the flour and cook for few minutes until light golden brown. Add the milk and cream one cup at a time and whisk continuously until smooth. Bring to boil then cook for 30 seconds before removing from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg (optional). If you are cheese lover, you can add a handful grated parmesan to the bechamel to give it rich flavor.

Stir in the chicken and ham (I mentioned that the ham is optional for the people who doesn’t like the taste) and pour over the tagliatelle and mix until all components are well incorporated.

Put the mix in a baking dish and sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake (on 180°C) for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy the pleasure on a plate, indulge in rich flavors and sahtein a la libanaise!

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Tagged blog, cheese, chicken, ham, how to cook, jaymmy, lebanes nouilles, marmite et ponpon, mushroom, recipe, tagliatelle, white wine

Eat like an Emilian! classic lasagne alla bolognese

Posted on August 29, 2014 | 6 comments

A hearty dish, considered one of the staples of the Italian cuisine. Often made for family gatherings and special occasions like Christmas. Served in many variations representing the region’s classic ingredients. It used to be called pasticcio means mess!

This dish is something to truly relish, served to satisfy and comfort. I don’t promise you a quick dish, it needs time and care but not difficult!

My favorite so far, is the classic lasagne alla bolognese where meat sauce (ragu) and bechamel (Besciamella) are the major play. It’s called classic Emilian lasagne coming from Emilia region.

For the ragu you will need:

500g ground beef
1/4 cup olive oil
large onion chopped finely
half cup carrots diced finely
1 cup white wine
1 cup tomato puree
1/2 cup tomato diced
salt to taste
1 tsp dried oregano (optional)

Heat the oil and cook the onion and carrot until fragrant and soft. Add the meat and cook to brown.

Pour the wine and continue to cook over medium heat until almost all the liquid is evaporated. Add the tomato puree and simmer. The longer the better (italians take it up to 2 hours), but i guess one hour is ok!

For the besciamella you will need:

75g butter
4 tbsp flour
3 cups milk
2 tsp salt
dash of nutmeg (optional)

Heat the butter until melted but not colored. Add the flour and cook for few minutes until light golden brown. Add the milk one cup at a time and whisk continuously until smooth. Bring to boil then cook for 30 seconds before removing from heat. It should be just a little looser than usual for lasagne. Season with salt and nutmeg (optional). If you are cheese lover, you can add a handful grated parmesan to the bechamel to give it rich flavor.

To assemble you will need:

grated mozzarella to taste (enough to add between layers and to end up), I use almost 200g and 50g of parmesan (optional)
500g dried pasta (i use lasagne verdi, made with spinach)

Use a rectangular or square casserole dish, keeping in mind that a larger one will produce less layers and a smaller one will produce more.

For the dried pasta (that doesn’t need pre-boiling), allow me to suggest Barilla, amazing for lasagne, I use lasagne verdi, made with spinach (con spinaci bolognesi).

Start with a layer of ragu, lay down pasta sheets, add another layer of ragu to cover followed by bechamel and a sprinkle of mozzarella. Repeat (pasta – ragu – bechamel – mozzarella) until you finish by a layer of ragu, bechamel and heavier layer of mozzarella ( mixed with parmesan or emmental for a deeper flavor).

Bake at 180°C for about 30-45 minutes, depending on the thickness, depth and size of your lasagne. It should be golden brown on top and the sauce bubbling.

A tip: let the lasagne rest for 10-15 minutes after you take it out from the oven. This way the cutting will be easier. This quantity yields 4 generous portions. But i don’t know if it will make 4 with my husband. Antoun is a lasagne lover, he can live on it.