Moroccan Couscous

INGREDIENTS 1 kg couscous 1 kg meat, cut into medium pieces 500 g turnips, cut into quarters 500 g carrots, cut into thick slices 500 g zucchinis, cut into thick slices 1 cup chickpeas, soaked in water overnight or equal to 150 g 2 onions, chopped 200 g butter, cubed 1 teaspoon saffron 1 teaspoon paprika 1 dried coriander 1 teaspoon ground ginger salt to taste black pepper to taste

COOKING METHOD   1. Place the couscous in a bowl and pour a little bit of warm salted water over it. Mix and use a fork to separate the grains. Strain the couscous and place it in a steamer that fits in the pan used for the meat. If you do not have a steamer, you can use a strainer instead, but make sure that it fits on top of the saucepan. 2. Place the meat pieces in a saucepan and cover it with 5 liters of water. Then add in the onions, saffron, paprika, salt, black pepper and chickpeas. Bring to a boil then simmer over low heat for an hour. 3. While cooking the meat, place the steamer inside the saucepan. When the steam begins to rise from the couscous remove the steamer and return the couscous to the bowl. Set aside. 4. After one hour of cooking the meat, add in the turnips and carrots and simmer for 15 minutes. Then add in the zucchinis and coriander. 5. Put the couscous again in the steamer and place it inside the saucepan. Cook for 45 minutes. 6. When the couscous is cooked turn off the heat. 7. Place the couscous in a serving dish and stir in the butter. Remove the meat and vegetables from the broth. 8. Make a hole in the middle of the couscous and place the meat and vegetables inside. Pour the broth in a deep serving bowl. 9. To serve, place the couscous on individual plates and put the stew on top. Pour the meat broth over.

Traditional Banana Split

Ingredients:

1/2 cup scoop vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup scoop chocolate ice cream
1/2 cup scoop strawberry ice cream
1 large ripe banana
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup (or Hot Fudge)
2 tablespoons strawberry ice cream topping (or fresh strawberries)
2 tablespoons crushed pineapple
2 tablespoons wet walnut ice cream topping
whipped cream
cherries

Directions:

1 Line up ice cream scoops next to each other in an oval deep dish or a banana boat.

2 Cut the ends of the banana off (about 1/4 inch) while still in the peel.

3 Slice in half longways.

4 Pop each half of the banana out of the peel onto each side of the ice cream row, pressing down and in a little so it'll stay put.

5 Top the vanilla ice cream with the pineapple, the chocolate with the chocolate syrup and the strawberry with the strawberry sauce.

6 Spoon the wet walnuts over all three scoops of ice cream.

7 Top each scoop with some whipped cream and a cherry for each.

8 Enjoy!

Shish Taouk - Lebanese Chicken Skewers

Ingredients:

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juice of
1 tablespoon paprika
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons sumaq
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper

Directions:

1 Cut chicken breasts into pieces for skewers.

2 Mix remaining ingredients together to make a marinade.

3 Add chicken to marinade, mix well and refrigerate in a non-reactive container from 2-8 hours.

4 Thread chicken on skewers and grill or cook under a broiler.

Fool Moudammas

Ingredients - Fool Moudammas:

• Serves 4. One 16-ounce can cooked fava beans
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Salt, pepper, and red chili pepper to taste
• Pita bread (optional)

Preparation - Fool Moudammas:

• Pour the beans into a pot and bring to a boil.
• Mix them well and add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil again, then reduce to medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes.

Fried Calamari

Ingredients

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 pound clean squid with tentacles, bodies cut into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick rings
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dried parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons, cut into wedges
1 cup simple tomato sauce, recipe follows or jarred marinara sauce, warmed

Directions

Pour enough oil into a heavy large saucepan to reach the depth of 3 inches. Heat over medium heat to 350 degrees F. Mix the flour, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Working in small batches, toss the squid into the flour mixture to coat. Carefully add the squid to the oil and fry until crisp and very pale golden, about 1 minute per batch. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the fried calamari to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.

Place the fried calamari and lemon wedges on a clean plate. Sprinkle with salt. Serve with the marinara sauce.

Simple Tomato Sauce:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.

Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

Yield: 6 cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

East of preparation: easy

cheesecake pumpkin recipe

Ingredients
Crust:

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:

In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

For filling:

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place in oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Mango Layer Cake

Ingredients

Cake

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® white cake mix

3/4 cup mango nectar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons grated lime peel

3 egg whites

Filling

1 container Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white frosting

2 to 3 medium mangoes, seeds removed, peeled and finely chopped (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup shredded coconut