Rocket (arugula) and pomegranate salad with honey vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

A tray of rocket  (arugula)
Half of a pomegranate
Dried Fruit: pine nuts, hazelnuts and pistachios
1 tsp honey
3cs olive oil
Juice of half a lemon (a little lemon or quarter of a large lemon)
Salt and pepper

RECIPE

Wash the rocket with water two times, changing the water every time. Put the dried fruit in a roasting pan and stir  for a few minutes, during this time take of the grains of pomegranate. Prepare the vinaigrette: Mix honey, lemon and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. put the vinaigrette over the arugula and toss well to coat all the leaves; Put the salad in the serving plate, scatter on top of the dry fruit salad and pomegranate seeds. (Do not mix or all the seeds and dried fruit will stay in the bottom of the dish)

Pumpkin pie

INGREDIENTS

1 medium pumpkin
1 egg
15cl of cream
200g of cream cheese  of ricotta
half a vanilla bean (or extract)
1 tsp cinnamon
150g Sugar
1tbsp cornflour
a pie crust 

RECIPE

Peel the pumpkin and empty of all seeds. cut into small dice and put to cook in a pan with the sugar for 20min . this cooking method will allow the pumpkin caramelize while baking it.

cook the mixture and  stir often  till all the  water evaporates. Blend the caramelized pumpkin flesh to obtain a smooth texture. In a bowl, combine the sour cream, the ricotta or the cream  cheese, the egg, the cinnamon, the cornstarch and vanilla. Add the pumpkin and mix well.

In small ramekins, place the crust and bake it for 5minutes. Guet it out of the oven add  the pumpkin filling  and bake around 20min. let cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Pumpkin and carrots velouté with chestnuts pieces

INGREDIENTS

500g pumpkin
3 carrots
1 small potato
1 medium onion
4 or 5 chestnuts
Aromatic herbs (bay leaves powder, oregano, parsely...)
1liter of chicken  broth
salt pepper nutmeg
2 ts of creme fraîche 
sour cream for presentation

RECIPE

Cut the pumpkin, the potatoes and carrots in large cube. cCut the chestnuts in two. chop the onion and fry in 1tbsp of olive oil without browning. Add the remaining vegetables, the aromatic herbs and the chestnuts, add the  chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Cover  and let it boil  about 30 to 40 minutes. Get off the chestnuts. Put the mixture in a blender and mix well till you obtain a smooth and creamy texture. Add more broth if necessary. in a saucepan, heat the soup, add 2ts of creme fraiche ,the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Peel the chestnuts and cut into small pieces. present the velouté  in bowls with pieces of chestnuts in the middle and spinning of cream around.

Cheesecake with peach juice sauce

INGREDIENTS

300g ricotta
250 g of cream cheese ( philadelphia)  or 550g of cream chesse if you dont have ricotta
10cl of milk
10cl of peach juice
3 eggs
35g of flour
120g of sugar
60g of butter  

40cl peach juice for the syrup
250g biscuits with cinnamon)

RECIPE

Crush  the biscuits to obtain a powder.  Melt the butter and mix it with the biscuit.  Place the mixture into a mold with high sides and removable bottom  and place in the refrigerator

In a bowl place the ricotta and work in drummer for about 30 seconds just to soften.  Add the cream cheese and mix even for 30 seconds, then the flour, the eggs one at a time, mixing  30 seconds between each addition. mix 10cl  milk with peach juice and stir into the cheese.  The mixture will become quite liquid, but it will  thicken during cooking.  Pour the mixture over the cookies dough. For cooking should be followed exactly the steps: placing the cheesecake in the oven (preheated) at 250 ° for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 90 ° and cook for one hour, then turn off the oven and leave the cake  inside for another hour.
 

In a sauce pan  reduce 40cl of the peach juice on low heat with 2CS sugar until you have the consistency of a syrup  and let it cool.  Pass the blade of a knife between the edge of the mold and the cheesecake  . if we do not this operation will crack in the middle when it will rest. To finish, garnish the top with the  peach syrup and place in refrigerator for 24 hours.  Serve chilled.

Sauteed beef with vegetables

Wok cooking is very fast so you have to prepare the ingredients in advance because the cooking time is a few minutes by ingredients

INGREDIENTS

300g of beef, cut into strips 
1 zucchini
1 carrot
1 onion
Some spinach  leaves
Some leaves of red cabbage
1 chili papper
1 cm piece of fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic
3cs soy sauce
1 tea sp of green curry paste
1 tea sp hot chili sauce
sesame seeds

RECIPE

In a bowl mix the soy sauce, the chili sauce, the green curry paste and half of the ginger finely chopped.  Mix well and place the meat in the marinade and the bowl in the fridge for at least an hour.  Prepare the vegetables: Cut the chilli, the spinach and cabbage leaves into strips , chop the onion, and cut the carrot and zucchini into thin slices (with a peeler, for example).   Heat 1 table spoon of vegetable oil in the wok, add the onions with the remaining chopped ginger and garlic and cook for a few minutes. Drain meat (keep the marinade) , place it in the wok and stir well to grasp quickly.

 

start adding the ingredients one by one : start with chilli, cook for 2 minutes (stirring constantly with a wooden spoon), then put the carrot and zucchini, cook 2 more minutes then finish with red cabbage and spinach. Add the meat marrinade to the wok, add salt, pepper and soy sauce to taste. . Sere in a bowl, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve with noodles or basmati rice.

Tunisian spaghetti with octopus

INGREDIENTS

An average octopus
3  tomatoes
3ts tomato paste
5 cloves of garlic
1cs harissa  ( hot chili paste)
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground coriander and caraway
3 bay leaves
1 tsp ras el hanout
salt and pepper

RECIPE

 

Cut the octopus into  average pieces . boil them in water for a few minutes. Put the pieces of octopus in pressure cooker withe the choped tomato and the  olive oil . cook about 5 minutes.

 

 

Add the tomato paste and mix well  and cook  for another 5 minutes.  Add the spices, the harissa, the bay leaves, the  crushed garlic and  two large glasses of water.  Close the pressure cooker and cook for 10 minutes from the whistle of the valve.  Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary. . Check also if the  octopus is well coked.add some cooking time if needed.  You can also add more water if the sauce is too thick.   Serve with spaghetti.

Tunisian tagine with chicken, zucchini and potato

INGREDIENTS

2 zucchini
2 potatoes
300g chicken breast or turkey (or ground beef)
1 bunch of parsley
Ten spinach leaves (optional)
1 large onion
3 eggs
Ras el hanout, salt and pepper

RECIPE

Start by cutting into slices potatoes, zucchini,  fry them then drain on  a paper towel . Fry in a pan with a little olive oil, the chopped onions, and stir for several minutes add meat or ground chicken, parsley, chopped spinach, spices and cook for ten minutes, stir from time to time.  In a baking pan, draw half slices of potato and zucchini alternating.  Break two eggs into the stuffing and mix well to incorporate.

Put the mixture into the baking pan and cover with the other half potato / zucchini.  Alternate the two to have a beautiful appearance.  Beat the third  egg and pour it over the top of the potatoes/ zucchini. Cook  in the oven for fifteen minutes.  Serve with lemon wedges and bread slices .

Naan bread with cheese, coriander and garlic

INGREDIENTS  

450g  of flour
1 tsp salt
1 yogurt
5cl of milk
1 packet of yeast
1 tsp sugar
melted butter  or ghee
Chopped cilantro, garlic and cheese

RECIPE  

In a bowl, place the milk the  sugar and the yeast.  mix and let stand 5 minutes.Add the flour, the  salt  the  yogurt and start working  the dough with your hands.. Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes until it becomes soft.  It needed add flour if the dough is too sticky.. Let rise for 1 hour in a warm place covered with a damp cloth.  degas the dough and work for a few more minutes.  cut the dough into 4 or 5 small portions.. For a cheese Naan , spread a  portions of dough, place in a center a portion of cheese , fold the sides to seal and spread this piece of dough with a floured roller on 2mm thick.

For garlic and cilantro Naan spread directly  the dough and sprinkle with chopped cilantro or chopped garlic. make sure that you paste ingredients to the dough with the palm of the hand. Bake in a hot oven at 200 ° for a few minutes.  follow cooking by paying attention  to the color of the bread. Remove from oven and coat with melted butter . you can enjoy your naan like this or serve it  with a curry.

Churros

INGREDIENTS

1 cup boiling water
1 cup flour
1tbsp sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 dash of oil or melted butter

orange peel or cinnamon (optional)
1 pinch of baking soda
for the hot chocolate
50g dark chocolate
1 table spoon  cornstarch
2 table spoon  coco powder
1 large glass of milk

RECETTE RECIPE  

In a bowl mix the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda, sugar, orange peel powder , make a well and put little oil or the melted butter . add the  boiling water and stir quickly until obtaining a smooth paste but still very consistent.

Place the dough in a pastry bag with star tip. . Heat the frying oil and train with the pastry bag churros shaped elongated 10cm, let them to turn  brown and drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with sugar when they are still hot and serve it  with a hot chocolate or a chocolate sauce.  For the hot chocolate, place all ingredients in a saucepan and put over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened.  Add milk if you want to have a more liquid texture. enjoy