Saffron Rice with Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts from An Edible Mosaic

 Posted by  23 Responses »
Nov 092012
 

Today I have a very especial post…and yes, it is unusual for me to post on Friday but I had to make an exception since my friend Faith Gorsky from An Edible Mosaic just had her first cookbook released: An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair. I could not wait until Monday to share with you such exciting news and I am so happy to be able to participate in her virtual book launch party.

Faith’s book has over 100 Middle Eastern recipes, with a focus mainly on dishes from the Levant, but also a few recipes from other areas of the Middle East. She has a pretty unique story…after getting married Faith spent six months living in the Middle East, where she fell in love with the culture and cuisine. Subsequently, she returned four more times for visits, each time delving deeper into the cuisine and deepening her passion for and appreciation of the region. Recipes in her book are authentic Middle Eastern (taught to Faith mostly by her mother-in-law, Sahar), but streamlined just a bit for the way we cook today, with unique ingredients demystified and cooking techniques anyone can follow. If you didn’t grow up eating Middle Eastern food, it can be a difficult art to master; Faith understands that, and explains complicated dishes in an approachable, easy-to-follow way. The book is available to order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

The recipe from the book that I’m sharing with you today is for Saffron Rice with Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts. The recipe is vegan therefore easily incorporated into a vegan or vegetarian meal, but it is just as delicious served with chicken, beef, lamb, or seafood, and it would be really fantastic with just about any curry dish. (In the cookbook, Faith recommends pairing Shrimp in Aromatic Tomato Sauce with this rice dish.)

Saffron Rice with Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts.
(ROZ MLOW’WAN)
Recipe courtesy of An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair by Faith Gorsky (Tuttle Publishing; Nov. 2012); reprinted with permission.

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes, plus 15 minutes to let the rice sit after cooking

Ingredients:

1½ cups (325 g) basmati rice, rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 onion, finely diced
4 tablespoons sultanas (golden raisins)
1¾ cups (425 ml) boiling water
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon saffron threads (or ½ teaspoon turmeric)

Method:

1. Soak the rice in tepid water for 10 minutes; drain. While the rice is soaking, put half a kettle of water on to boil.
2. Add the oil to a medium, thick-bottomed lidded saucepan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and cook until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the pine nuts to a small bowl and set aside.
3. Add the onion to the saucepan you cooked the pine nuts in, and cook until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rice and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the sultanas, boiling water, salt, and saffron (or turmeric), turn the heat up to high, and bring it to a rolling boil.
4. Give the rice a stir, then cover the saucepan, turn the heat down to very low, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes (do not open the lid during this time). Turn the heat off and let the rice sit (covered) 15 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
5. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle the toasted pine nuts on top; serve.

OPTIONAL Add two pods of cardamom, two whole cloves, and one 2-inch (5 cm) piece of cinnamon stick at the same time that you add the rice.

On Faith’s book you will find a variation of this rice recipe, Mixed White and Yellow Rice.

Please head over to Faith’s blog to check out her virtual book launch party to see the other bloggers who are participating. Also, as part of her virtual book launch, Faith is hosting a giveaway of a fabulous set of prizes. Be sure to head over and enter!

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great weekend!

Flan

 Posted by  39 Responses »
Nov 052012
 

I know, I know there are hundreds of recipes for flan and here I am sharing another one…but trust me, this recipe is very simple and only requires a few ingredients. Moreover, I can assure you that whoever tries this flan will fall in love with it. It is not overwhelmingly sweet and the texture is silky and creamy. There are no words to describe it! It is true that it is loaded of calories, but we need to indulge ourselves once in a while right?

You can bake the flan in small size ramekins or when going to a potluck, I like to bake the flan in a pyrex form. Everytime that I am going to a potluck party and do not know what to bring…or do not feel like cooking/baking…flan is the solution. It is simple,easy and enjoyed by all…Okay, enough of bragging about this flan, let’s go to the ingredients and method.

Ingredients:

Caramel
½ cup sugar
Enough water to dissolve the sugar, approximately ¼ cup

Flan
1 can of condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
3 cans of skim milk (measured by the condensed milk can)
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

Caramel

In a small pan place the water and the sugar, mix until the sugar is dissolved. Boil the sugar mix until the water is totally evaporated and the sugar is thick and brown. Do not mix while it is cooking otherwise the sugar will crystallize. Carefully pour the caramelized sugar into the ramekins and gently rotate the ramekin so the caramel is evenly spread. Let the sugar cool down and set the ramekins aside.

Flan

In a blender add all the ingredients listed under “flan”, make sure that it is well mixed. Pour into the ramekins where the brown sugar is already hard. The flan mixture will be liquidy at this stage. Bake the flan in water-bath (banho-maria in Portuguese) for approximately 1 to 1 ½ at 275F. The top will be slightly golden and when gently shaken, the flan in ramekins will feel settled.

Let it cool completely and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Before serving, place a plate larger on top of the ramekin and in one movement, flip the ramekin carefully on a plate. Tap on the ramekin a couple of time and the flan will slide on the plate together with the caramel sauce

Garnish as  desired and serve.

If you enjoy this simple flan recipe you might want to check on a richer version of flan recipe.

Curiosity Corner Jan 2013
Did you know that flan recipes are found as far back as ancient Rome and is was originally a savory dish? The word “flan” is derived from the Latin “flado”, which means flat cake.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!

Chicken Rice Bowl

 Posted by  47 Responses »
Oct 222012
 

This is my version of chicken rice bowl…I mainly prepared the chicken with a lot of different vegetables and topped over steamed rice. This is a very simple recipe, especially when I feel like “cleaning” the fridge and use up all the vegetables. It is very versatile and you can use all kind of your favorite vegetables and meat, or tofu if you are vegetarian.
Oh! Another thing, this is great for next day lunch!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast cup in cubes
3 to 4 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
½ tablespoon light olive oil

1 cup of Brussel sprouts cut into quarter and blanched
2 zucchinis cut into cubes
2 red bell peppers cut into cubes
1 small onion cut into cubes

1 tablespoon light olive oil
½ tablespoon sesame oil

Steamed rice

Method:

Add to the chicken the garlic, soy sauce, olive oil, cornstarch, salt and pepper and it sit for 5 minutes.

Sauté the chicken in olive oil, until slightly golden color. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In the same pan add the onion until brown, add the remaining vegetables until cooked but not soggy. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Add to the vegetables the chicken and mix gently. Drizzle sesame oil and remove from the heat.

Have the bowls of rice ready and top it with the chicken and veggies mixture. Serve hot.

If you enjoy this rice dish you might want to check on Fried Rice recipe.

Curiosity Corner Jan 2013
Did you know that rice bowl in Japanese is called “donburi”?

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!

Sauté Shrimp and Fish…Guess Where We Were…

 Posted by  38 Responses »
Oct 152012
 

Okay, this is one of the dishes that I am almost embarrassed to share. It is so ridiculously easy and simple that it may insult you…but I could not leave behind because it is delicious and can be made in a few minutes. It is great with a side green salad. Please feel free to add more or less of the ginger, green onion and paprika according to your taste. The combination of caramelized green onion and ginger with the seafood is just perfect!

Ingredients:

½ lb of large shrimp
½ lb of white fish cut into approximately 1 to 1 ½ in
Green onion finely chopped
Ginger finely chopped
Paprika to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking wine
Olive oil

Method:

Mix all the ingredients above, except for the olive oil. Let it set for 5 minutes.

In a wok or fry pan heat the olive oil in medium to high temperature.

Carefully layer the shrimps and the fish so they do not overlap.

Cook until one side is golden brown then turn one piece at the time and cook the other side. Do not overcook. Serve hot.

If you enjoy this simple recipe you might want to check on Shrimp with Cilantro and Lemon.

Yes, we just came back from a long vacation…still adjusting to the time and thought that it would be nice to share with you a glance of what we experienced :)

And yes, I will post more pictures as soon as I have all the thousands of pictures sorted…yes, thousands…but do not worry, I will not make you see them all :)

Curiosity Corner Jan 2013
Did you know that shrimp is low in fat and calorie but contains high amount of cholesterol?

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!

Light Banana Loaf

 Posted by  62 Responses »
Jul 302012
 

This is a very simple recipe for a very light banana loaf…this loaf is very airy and spongy. I adapted this from the Banana Spongy Cake, I omitted the walnut and instead of muffins cups I make them into a mini loaf, which I great as a gift.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
¾ cup mashed banana
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup canola oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon rum

Method:

Preheat oven at 350F.
In a bowl sift the flour with baking soda, baking powder and ground cinnamon. In another bowl mix the eggs, vanilla extract, rum, sugar, mashed banana and mix until ribbon stage, which it will take approximately 10 minutes.

Add the flour mix to the egg and banana mix, mixing gently. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the oil.

Pour into the prepared 3 mini loaf pans and bake at 325 F for approximately 30 minutes (lower the temperature once the pans are in the oven) or until an inserted wooden pick comes out clean.

Cool on the wire rack and serve, or wrap the loaf and send to a lucky friend :)

Looking for more banana recipes, check Banana Upside Down Cake or Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips.

Curiosity Corner Jan 2013
Did you know that bananas are naturally radioactive? It is because of its high levels of potassium and a small amount of potassium-40, which is the largest source of natural radioactivity found in animals and humans.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!

Warm Chicken Salad

 Posted by  62 Responses »
Jul 232012
 

I got this idea for warm chicken salad from Katerina at Culinary Flavors. I don’t know if you remember, Katerina is a dear blogger friend that when we were in Greece she and her husband received us so graciously, hosting us to a wonderful dinner at the local Greek restaurant, and we learned so much about the culture and life in Greece. Anyway, when I saw this recipe on her blog I thought, yes…I can use this recipe for chicken and make it into a meal by layering Katerina’s Mediterranean Chicken Stir-Fry on a bed of greens. No need to mention (although I just did it), my husband was giving me compliments throughout the dinner…I had to acknowledge that the tasty chicken recipe came from Katerina, which was nice, because during dinner we could again share memories of our trips to Turkey and Greece…

Since the weather is getting warm here in Southern California and the days longer, I love this kind of meal, simple, quick, easy and tasty so we have time to walk at the beach after dinner before gets dark.

I adapted the recipe since I am cooking for 2 people, and please hop Katerina’s site Culinary Flavors for more details. So here is the simple recipe for this tasty chicken :)

Ingredients:

Chicken

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless cut in small cubes
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 pinch of dried oregano
1 pinch of dried basil
1 pinch of thyme
1 pinch of rosemary
Parsley chopped to taste
Salt and pepper to your taste

Salad

Greens of your preference
Tomatos
Kalamata olives

Method:

Chicken

Place all the ingredients together, mix the chicken with the herbs, and let it marinated for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

In a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat and stir-fry the chicken until cooked and golden brown. Set aside.

Assembly

On a plate spread the greens, tomatoes and Kalamata olives, and top with the stir-fried chicken. Serve immediately.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. You might want to check Grilled Salmon and Shrimp with Cilantro and Lemon, these are great topped on a bed of greens.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!

Ham Frittata

 Posted by  69 Responses »
May 142012
 

First of all, I hope all you mothers had a great Mother’s Day with your loved ones.

This is the kind of dish that can be served as breakfast, lunch or dinner. I love the versatility of it…you can add whatever you want and in no time you have a nutritious and healthy meal.

In this simple recipe for frittata I used ham, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, red bell pepper and mozzarella cheese and of course eggs. You can add spinach, mushrooms, olives, parsley and the list of ingredients can go on and on, and you can even make a vegetarian version of it.

I need to confess that the ham that I used in this frittata is from Easter, which was left in the freezer since then…and I still have one more piece of ham :)

Ingredients:

1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tomato seed removed and chopped
1 small red bell pepper chopped
Cilantro to taste
1/3 cup ham chopped
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese (I used the sticks)
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 eggs, slightly beaten
¼ cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In the egg mixture add salt, pepper and the milk and set aside.

In a fry pan with cover sauteé the onion in olive oil until slightly soft. Add to the pan the ham, tomatoes, red bell pepper and cilantro. Mix gently, until all the ingredients are blended together. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and layer the cheese. Cover the pan and lower the temperature to low and let it cook until the egg is settled. Remove the pan from the heat and flip to a dish.
Serve hot.

If you like this simple recipe for ham frittata, you might want to check on Spinach and Canadian Bacon Frittata.

Curiosity Corner Jan 2013
Did you know that “frittata” comes from the Italian word fritto? Frittata although uses similar ingredients as omelet it differs in cooking and presentation.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!

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