Tag Archives: main dish

Beetroot and feta tart

Posted on October 4, 2017 | Leave a comment

The best recipes are the ones calling for few ingredients, done in no time and effortless! Served at anytime of the day is a bonus! I am describing my recipe of today; beetroot and feta cheese tart.

Beetroot, better called “superbeet”, is a round dark red vegetable, sweet, earthy and tender. Whilst beetroot has a sweet taste, its leaves, which also are edible, taste bitter. This vegetable is linked with better stamina, improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure. It was popular in Roman times to treat fever, wounds, skin problems and was used as an aphrodisiac.

If you don’t want fuschia hands, better wear gloves while working with it. No wonder why its color can be extracted and used as a natural food coloring. Try it with eggs at Easter time for a nice vibrant color!

For this recipe there is no exact measurements. You will need to roll out a sheet of puff pastry and cut it in medium squares (around 10x10cm), so it’s depending on how many squares you will make. I made 6 puffs, so i used a sheet of 300g. For that you need:

one medium beetroot boiled, and coarsely shopped into small pieces
180g feta cheese crumbled
2 tbsp thyme
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
egg wash

Heat the oven to 180ºC. Roll the pastry out into six squares as i already mentioned and score a 1cm border around the edge and brush it with egg wash.

Place them on the baking tray, scatter evenly the feta cheese, then the chopped beetroot. Sprinkle on top the thyme and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the pastry is well puffed and golden.

Leave it for 5 minutes to cool down then drizzle the olive oil and two drops (or three maximum) of balsamic vinegar and it’s ready to serve! Alone or with a salad it tastes just delish! If you are not fan of balsamic vinegar you can skip and it will still taste amazing.

I used rocket leaves for garnish, you can also use thyme or any other green leaves you fancy and it’s at hand. Bon appetit!

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog please let me know the result, I love hearing from you!

And 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.

Fish tagine in Tahina sauce

Posted on March 13, 2017 | 1 comment

A very simple recipe where Tahina is the main ingredient for the sauce, in which the baked fish will bathe. Onion and lemon juice come to add the deep flavor and sour kick. The added bonus here are the roasted almonds and pine nuts that creates the contrast with its crunchiness.

Whether you are planning to serve it as an appetizer or main dish, you will have everyone licking their lips in anticipation.

You will need:

500g fish fillet or whole fish to be baked, could be sea bass, hamour or red snapper or any available white fish of your choice.
1 cup tahina (sesame paste)
1 1/4 cup water
2 tbsp lemon
2 medium onion cut a la julienne
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
roasted almonds and pine nuts for topping
chopped coriander for garnish

First start by oven baking the fish. Set aside the fillets (or deboned whole fish) to prepare the sauce.

Cook the onion with olive oil until tender, keep stirring while cooking as you don’t want them to brown. In a bowl mix together tahina, water, lemon and salt before pouring over the onion, you want the sauce a bit runny because it will thicken a bit while on heat. When you see the first bubble forming, turn off the heat and stir in the fish.

On a serving plate, sprinkle the top with roasted almonds and pine nuts. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve. You can have it warm, at room temperature or cold.

If you want to eat like a lebanese, then serve it with pita bread to seal the deal.

A middle eastern/Lebanese specialty dish that’s full of flavors with few ingredients. If you never cooked your fish this way, you should consider trying marmite et ponpon recipe and you will never regret.

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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Posted in appetizers & salads, main dish

Tagged appetizer, beirut, doha, fish, food, food blog, food photography, food porn, how to do, jaymmy food blogger, lebanese food, lebanon, main dish, marmite et ponpon, middle eastern dish, qatar, recipe, sesame paste, tagine, tahina

Hearty shepherd pie

Posted on January 19, 2017 | Leave a comment

In a previous post, i shared the recipe of batata soufflé, explaining that is the lebanese variation of the french dish “hachis parmentier” and the british dish “shepherd pie”.

Et voila the shepherd pie, a great comfort food recipe that’s easy to make! For Lebanese people or to the one who knows the traditional lebanese dishes, you will notice that it’s a mix of “batata soufflé” and “bazella w riz” but instead of the rice it’s served with potato purée on top.

This recipe is so versatile, some add cheese or herbs and some add more veggies, gravy or broth. For marmite et ponpon recipe you will need: (serving 4-6 people)

2 medium onion, medium diced
1/4 cup celery and leek, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
250g minced beef
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
2 large carrots coarsely chopped
1 cup water
1 cup or almost 250g peas (frozen or canned)
salt to taste
1 kg mashed potato (purée style with milk and butter)
dry mint to sprinkle on top
1 cup grated parmesan

Cook onion, celery and leek with olive oil until tender and fragrant. Add mince beef and cook together until the meet is browned. Stir in tomato paste, carrots and water then simmer for 20 minutes. I you are using frozen peas, add them to simmer for another 10-15 minutes but if you are putting the canned ones, you only need to simmer for another 2-3 minutes as they are already cooked and you don’t want them to melt in.

Pour them in a baking dish to cover with the mashed potato. Sprinkle some dried mint (almost 1 tsp) and grated parmesan and bake on 180°C for 15 minutes or until cheese is melt and golden.

You don’t need to be expert or love cooking when you have a foolproof recipe. It’s an easy and flavorful dish, if you have kids i am sure they will love it. Don’t hesitate to try one new dish each week, food is always a great pleasure!

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.

Turkey and red fruits jam with brie dip

Posted on January 17, 2017 | Leave a comment

Cold weather is the perfect excuse for eating, especially comfort food that warms the body and the heart. At the end of the day and when kids go to bed, all i want is to relax on the couch, enjoy a nice dinner with hubby while watching tv.

By this time i am out of energy, i need a quick dinner served with no preparations. Turkey, red fruits jam, brie and basil olive oil… did i grab your attention? All you need is 5 minutes of preparations, and this is exactly the time you spend to make a sandwich.

How to do?

Roll out a ready puff pastry into 2 circles (almost 8″ or 20cm).
Place the first circle of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Brush the surface lightly with red fruits jam leaving the center, the size of your brie cheese.
place the cheese in the center and lay around turkey slices, i chose turkey with herbs, my favorite.
place the second circle on top, after cutting off the circle, the size of the cheese.
divide the dough into 16 equal parts, starting from the edge till the center, without touching the cheese.
twist each two parts in different directions to meet. Take each pair of twisted slices and press the ends together firmly to seal the dough.
brush the surface with olive oil
make several cuts in the cheese to not burst in the oven
sprinkle some basil
bake on 180°C for 15-20 minutes or until the surface is golden brown

Is your stomach rumbling by now? Don’t wait till the night, you can have it as an appetizer for your lunch, it could also serve as a breakfast too! i hope you get the chance to try it.

Dip in the cheese and savour!

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.

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!