Middle Eastern-Style Offal with Tomato Sauce

I won't lie. I didn't taste any of this, but was happy to prepare and cook it. It's just not my thing.

But.....I was assured it was delicious! Mission accomplished.

1 lamb liver, chopped
1 lamb heart, trimmed and chopped
4 bay leaves
3 Tbs olive oil
10 tsp minced garlic (you could use less if need be)
2 onions, chopped roughly
(I also added two small potatoes, peeled and semi-steamed, as I had them in my pantry)
1 420g diced tomato
4 Tbs tomato paste
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
steamed rice, to serve

Spices - use to your preferred taste
Cinnamon
Ground coriander
Paprika
Turmeric
Cardamom
Cumin

Boil a pot of water to the boil with all the listed spices included (quantities to your liking). Add liver, heart and bay leaves. Turn heat to medium and boil for approximately 10 minutes. Strain and put aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in pot or pan. Add garlic, onion, spices (preferred amounts of each) and potato. Stir fry until onions become opaque. Add meat, stir. Pour in diced tomato and paste. Season. Simmer until sauce thickens. Serve with Arabic bread.

Liver.

Trimmed heart.

Boiling the offal.

Onion, spices, garlic and boiled offal.

...added tomato and paste.

Creamy Pesto Pasta (plus Chicken Alternative)

500g dried pasta of your choice (I used Rigatoni)

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tsp minced garlic

1 large onion, diced

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup (250ml) thickened cream

200g jar basil pesto

1 pinch salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

grated parmesan, to serve

(If you were wanting to add chicken to this dish, here is the marinade recipe):

1/4 cup (60ml) chicken stock

1 cup (250ml) white wine

2 tablespoons dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, crushed

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

 

(In a bowl, stir together chicken stock, 1 cup white wine, dried basil, oregano and garlic. Stir in chicken pieces. Marinate for at least one hour. Add the chicken just after cooking the onions). 

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just al dente; about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.

 

Heat rest of olive oil in a frypan over medium heat. Stir in onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Stir in white wine, sprinkle in sugar. Add pasta and pesto to the frypan, stir in cream and cook until the sauce is thickened. Adjust salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve with freshly grated parmesan.

 

Sauce ingredients, simmering.

Added pasta.

 

Fried Green Eggs on Turkish Bread

Serves 3

7 eggs, whisked briefly
2 Tbs fresh parsely, chopped finely
1 Tbs fresh coriander, chopped finely
2 tsp bottled basil pesto
1/2 cup milk
salt, to season
turkish bread, sliced and toasted

Combine eggs, herbs, basil, salt and milk in a pouring jug. Meanwhile, heat non-stick frypan.
Fry/scramble eggs to your liking. Serve on top of toasted turkish bread.

Hommus: Easy Presentation

It's amazing how authentic a supermarket hommus can be when you spoon it into a nice serving dish, and top it with a tablespoon of canned chickpeas. Delish.

Kofta with Tahini

Uniquely tasty!

300g minced beef

3/4 cup parsley, chopped finely

2 medium onions, grated finely 

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baharat (or Middle Eastern kofta spice/mix)

1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

1 Tbs oil

2 medium potatoes, sliced thinly

cooking oil spray

2/3 cup tahini paste 

2 medium lemons, juice of

1 cup water

arabic bread, to serve

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Combine meat, parsley, onions, salt, spices and oil in a large bowl. Oil a baking dish with oil spray and press meat mixture down flat, spreading to edges, so that the kofta mixture covers the bottom surface of whole dish.

Fry potato in a separate fry pan until lightly golden on each side and arrange on top of the kofta mixture. Meanwhile, mix tahini and lemon juice together well until it forms a smooth paste. Slowly add the water while stirring to keep the mixture smooth. Pour sauce over kofta.

Cook in oven, uncovered, until the tahini sauce has thickened (about 3/4hr – 1 hr). Serve with arabic bread. Alternatively, cook until the water has reduced to make a sauce and serve either in bowls with rice.

Chicken, Lentil and Lemon Tagine with Olives

This is a very healthy dish, being low in oil and fats. I found it to be delicious, especially for a lemon lover such as myself! Next time I would use green olives instead of black, as this is more traditional.

Serves 4 - 6

1 pinch saffron threads
250ml chicken stock, warmed
1 Tbs olive oil
3 onions, chopped
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, crushed
600g chicken breast, chopped
400g can brown lentils
1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
juice of two lemons
150g black olives
good handful coriander leaves, chopped

Add the saffron threads to the stock to infuse. Meanwhile, in a tagine or large casserole dish, heat the olive oil and fry the onions until soft. Add the ginger, cumin and garlic and cook gently for a couple of minutes

Add the chicken and stir to coat with the onion and spices. Sprinkle in the crushed peppercorns and add the lemon juice, along with the peel, and the saffron-infused stock. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on a very gentle heat for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is well cooked.

Remove the lemon peel and add the olives and lentils,  continue to simmer for another ten minutes. Add the chopped coriander just before serving Serve with crusty bread or rice and a green salad.

Saffron threads infusing in stock.

Softened onions....

...add chicken and pepper.....

...and lemon!

Olives and lentils, set aside.

Lemon, to serve.

Scatter with coriander leaves.