Tag Archives: recipe

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.

Spiral butter cookies – mini chefs in the kitchen

Posted on June 24, 2017 | Leave a comment

In previous posts, i mentioned the reasons you should enjoy cooking with your kids, for how much benefits it has. To recapitulate:

Literacy (building vocabulary): cooking with kids gives you the opportunity to introduce new words. You will be talking about the ingredients which gives them food knowledge. They will be observing and talking about the process as well (like creaming, whisking,…). It’s good to mention the new words several times and put them in a sentence they will understand and repeat after you. And when you read for them the recipe (if they can’t read yet) they will learn also that there is a method and instructions to follow. When am with with my son i enjoy mostly the open conversation we have all the time of cooking.
Brain development by exploring their senses: sensory experience is essential for the brain development. Cooking engage all the senses of your kids; seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting (especially smelling and tasting). My son is the curious type he likes to taste everything!
Motor skills: Developing fine and gross motor skills is as important as the sensory experience. They will be training their tiny muscles (fingers, hands, arms and even all body) by stirring, whisking, beating, kneading….. I love watching my son doing all this, i see a small proud man using his beautiful hands magically 🙂
Math and logic: By counting and using the measuring cups or spoons to follow the accurate recipe.
Self esteem: you will experience the look of confidence and pride on your kid’s face when he sees the outcome and especially when he offers it to others. When i bake with my son, he keeps on telling what he did to everyone he sees, and insists on offering some of “his creations” and waiting for the rewards for his efforts.

All these benefits go without neglecting the amount of fun we have and the quality time together which is sacred for me.

The most important thing though is you don’t force the learning to happen, it should flow naturally. The golden rule is to enjoy the time with your kids in the kitchen.

If you like to cook with your kids but you are struggling to find simple recipes to do, here is one easy recipe, Nady shared with his friend Gia mae.

You will need:

3 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
300g butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
food coloring

Mix butter, flour and sugar, and rub them until they become like sand. Add the eggs then vanilla. Mix well but don’t over mix. Divide the dough in half. Take one part and divide it as much as colors you want to use. We did 5! Roll the first half in rectangular shape, then the colored ones as strips within a rectangle. Put The colored rectangular dough on top of the first part and roll, following the scheme. Let it rest in the fridge for at least half an hour before cutting it.

Bake on a parchment paper for 8-10 minutes on 180°C. Let it cool before serving.

No doubt, cooking with kids takes more time and effort, but for the many learning experiences you can embrace while your kids are in the kitchen, and the fun you share, i encourage you to do it more often.

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-mozz braid appetizer

Posted on June 14, 2017 | Leave a comment

I heart appetizers, actually we (my husband and I) heart appetizers. I believe this love runs in the blood, as we are Lebanese, we come from the land of birthplace of mezze.

I confess, sometimes we only order a variety of these convivial small dishes and we never reach to the main dish.

Turkey and mozzarella braid is one of our favorite appetizer, prepared with few ingredients and served on your table in less than 20 minutes.

You will need:

one sheet of puff pastry (300g)
100g turkey (5-6 slices)
100g mozzarella (4-5 slices)
1 tbsp red fruits jam
11/2 tbsp pesto
egg wash before baking

Roll the pastry dough into a 30 cm x 30 cm square. Lightly divide it (without cutting) into 3 equal rectangles. Using a rotary cutter or simply the pizza cutter cut about ten strips, on the side rectangles. Leave the center rectangle intact. Remove the corner sections from each of the 4 corners strips.

Spread the jam in the center followed by a layer of turkey, i chose the one with herbs, then mozzarella and finally pesto. Start by folding the top right strip over the filling slightly diagonal and press lightly to adhere. Then fold the top left stripe in the same manner. Repeat with the remaining strips until you reach the end, but before folding the last two strips make sure you folded the bottom flap.

Follow the scheme for a easy tutorial of this no fail braid. Brush the top with eggwash and bake on 200°C for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve it with extra red fruit and pesto dip.

Bon appetit!

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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.

1 Comment

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

Classic bulgur pilaf and vermicelli

Posted on March 3, 2017 | 5 comments

Bulgur or burghol in Arabic برغل is the crushed whole raw wheat berries. It provides iron, protein and fiber while it still contains the outer bran and germ of the wheat. With such powerful whole grain, you guarantee a wholesome vegetarian dish,full of nutrients and flavor, plus offering a longer period of satiation, especially during lent, for people abstaining from meat.

Bulgur pilaf with vermicelli is one of my favorite simple dishes, that comes to rescue you on a lazy day. Doesn’t need preparation at all, using one pot and can be served in less than half an hour with a heap of yogurt to seal the deal.

There is two types of bulgur, one finely crushed we use in kebbeh or tabbouleh and this one, the whole grain cracked in half which is love the texture, firm but soft and fluffy after being cooked, mostly in pilafs.

To serve two people you will need:

1 cup bulgur
2/3 cup vermicelli
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups water
salt to taste
yogurt to serve with (as er your taste)

Start with cooking the vermicelli with butter and oil until golden brown. Add the bulgur and combine well and cook for another minute before adding the water. When it starts to boil reduce heat to simmer until all water disappears, it will take 20-25 minutes.

Turn off the heat and cover the pot with a towel for 10 minutes. Open the lid and fluff it with a fork to serve it warm with yogurt or simply as is.

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.