All posts filed under: Lunch & Dinner

Saffron Seafood Risotto

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Rice speaks several languages. It is the most widely consumed staple food for a large part of the world, most probably for half of the people on Earth. Each culture has a rice dish that is similar to one from another culture. In my hometown, rice accompanies all the stews (meat or vegetables) and sometimes it’s the star of the main course when it’s all spiced up or used as a filling. I started appreciating rice dishes during my adulthood, especially when I left my hometown and I explored all the flavors from across the world. I know for a fact that there are more than 20 traditional rice dishes around the world and today I am sharing my recipe of risotto, which is a popular Italian rice dish that is cooked slowly and needs a lot of attention. It is cooked slowly in order to maintain the starch at the end of cooking that binds the grains and makes the dish creamy. However my ingredients and spices are inspired from the Paella (the famous Spanish rice dish). …

The Famous Labneh Tart

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You might have tried it or even seen it! I love serving the Labneh Tart as a starter for a typical Lebanese lunch with a twist. This tart translates my vision of modernity & tradition. First, it has what I love the most: “Labneh” and not any ordinary one, the Goat Labneh. Second, it has this fine art in the pastry with the “Pate Brisee”. The best part is that you get to top it with whatever you feel like tasting and drawing (or simply what’s left in the fridge). My trick is to have circular drawings so that each slice has a bit of everything! Ingredients: Tart brisee 300g Goat Labneh (I love using “Tanayel Les Fermes” or “Goodies” from Lebanon) 20ml Cooking Cream 1/2 White Onion Sumac, Salt, Pepper Possible Toppings: Black Olives Chopped Mint or Zaatar Mixture Sun-dried Tomatoes Thinly sliced Radish Sliced Spring Onions You can work the labneh mixture while the Pate Brisee is baking in the oven (refer to Pate Brisee recipe). 1. Put the onion in the mixer with 1/2 tsp of sumac, salt and pepper, …

Here is a super fast recipe where you can use a ready made pastry sheet and you can accompany it with a salad on a lazy day!

Zucchini Tart

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I decided to mix the art of tart with quiche. I am not fond of thick quiches but love puff pastries so why not having it thin like a tart? Here is a super fast recipe where you can use a ready made pastry sheet and you can accompany it with a salad on a lazy day! Ingredients: 1 Puff pastry sheet 2 zucchinis 1 cup cream 2 tsp Dijon Mustard 1 tsp Mustard seeds 1 egg salt & pepper Thyme to sprinkle Parmesan for topping Sundried tomatoes for topping On a floured surface, roll the dough to a 1 cm thick circle; transfer to a 28cm tart plate. Flute the edge and trim pastry from beyond rim of plate; make holes with the fork and refrigerate while preparing the filling. Cut the zucchinis lengthwise and season then cook in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until colored and tender Whisk the mustards, cream and egg until blended and season well. Spread the mustard cream over the pastry shell and line up the zucchini …

How to Zoodles (Zucchini noodles)

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I am back to Zoodle! It’s been a while I didn’t share any recipe and for my come back I am sharing my latest kitshy dish: the Zoodles, aka Zucchini noodles. A perfect gluten free and vegan recipe, refreshing for summer, light for the tummy and takes 10 minutes to be ready thanks to the spiral slicer “spiralizer”. I found this handy spiralizer at Crate & Barrel Dubai, press on the link for more details. Ingredients: For 2 servings (as a starter) 3 Zuchinis Bunch of cherry tomatoes 1 tbsp Olive Oil 1 tsp Basic Pesto Parmesan (optional) 1. Spiralize the zucchinis. 2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in halves. 3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the noodles with the tomatoes for a few minutes (keep it ardent). 4. Stir in the pesto and cook for 2-3 more minutes, until well incorporated. 5. To serve, dish up zoodles and top with basil leaves and shaved parmesan if you are not vegan! Check out my video with Arabic subtitles on …

Baked Salmon & Honey Mustard

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Let me introduce you to my new favorite marinade, the Honey Mustard. It is simply divine on any meat, especially when you do it yourself (no need anymore to buy the supermarket sachets). I was happy to use the honey I brought from my home country, Lebanon. I filled my honey pantry supplies with sample jars from a boutique dedicated to honey: L’Atelier du Miel, known to be distinguished by its honey production method: they move the beehives all year long to follow the blossoming seasons, so that the bees are fed only on nectar of flowers and honeydew of trees. In fact, I tried the Thorns honey (Epines & fleurs d’été) for its intense taste of freshness that would go well with ginger and salmon. Ingredients: 4 Salmon Filets 2 tbs Olive oil 1 tbs grated Ginger 1 tbs Honey 2 tbs Mustard seed (Dijon a l’ancienne) Kosher Salt & Pepper – Combine the marinade ingredients: oil, ginger, honey and mustard. Keep some marinade sauce on the side to brush the salmon filets before serving. – Pour the marinade on the salmon filets in a zip-lock bag and …

Homemade Gnocchi

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This Festive season requires deluxe comfort food. I am having an Orange Duck Confit as I main dish and I am not keen on having plain potatoes or pasta on the side. So why not mixing both (in a way..)? Gnocchi would do it perfectly so I can I am having gnocchi as a side dish so I am making them ahead of time and putting them uncooked in the freezer until the D day! Check out this simple recipe for a yummy homemade dish from scratch: Ingredients: 6 serving 700g Potatoes 500g Flour 1 Garlic clove 1 Egg pinch of Salt 1 tsp Nutmeg 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the potato in boiled water with garlic and thyme for 30 minutes until tender but still firm. 2. Drain the potatoes then peel them and mash them with a potato masher. 3. whisk the egg with a pinch of salt and nutmeg before combining with mashed potato, 4. Add the flour in 3 batches. Knead until dough forms a ball. Shape …

Vegetarian Pizza Dough

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This time, I wanted to try to “bake” a vegetarian dough and it worked from the first attempt. I was so happy to have an entirely vegetarian option instead of carbs and cheese! The process is simple but step 4 is a bit messy (having food in a towel). Ingredients: 1 cleaned Cauliflower, without leaves 1 Egg 100g Parmesan Salt Pepper Toppings: 60g Tomato sauce 1 Grilled eggplant 2 Grilled zucchinis Sliced Mushrooms 200g Mozzarella cheese 1. Preheat oven to 200°C. 2. Put the cauliflower in a food processor until finely chopped. You will get a texture similar to almond meal (powder) 3. Transfer the cauliflower mixture to a bowl and cook it in the microwave for 5 minutes, until tender. 4. Put cauliflower mixture in a towel and let it cool for 10 minutes in the fridge then squeeze out the excess water until it is completely dry. 5. Mix the egg with the cauliflower, add parmesan, salt and pepper until well-combined. 6. Spread the cauliflower dough on a baking sheet simply like a pizza and bake for 40 minutes until gold. 7. …

The Moudardara Salad

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The story of a Lebanese dish turned into a salad. Moudardara stands for Lebanese lentils mixed with rice, topped with a lot of caramelized onions and flavored with cumin spice. Could be eaten both hot and chilled. I had never tried it in my life even though my mom used to make it [I think I have a problem with the Lebanese lentils because I do not mind the French ones: Puy Lentils]. My husband loves lentils in general, so I decided to try cooking the Moudardara for him… and the funny part is that I ended up eating it. The Moudardara is easy and fast to prepare; but I find it to be dull in the plate and I would certainly not categorize it as a main dish. To make peace with it I decided to transform it into a SALAD!! I tossed some grilled and raw vegetables on the Moudardara plate, some feta cheese and lemon-oil dressing: it turned out fulfilling, refreshing and delicious for dinner or a quick lunch at work! First, let me introduce you to my Moudardara recipe and then how …

Pizza Dough

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It is Pizza day! Sometimes we need carbs and cheese to get through the day. Pizza has it all! And the veggies will make us feel less guilty! Here is the dough recipe for 2 medium sized pizzas: Ingredients 3 cups Flour (keep a bit more for dusting) 1 cup Water (lukewarm) 1 tbs Instant dry yeast 2 tsp Salt 1 tsp Sugar 2 tbs Olive oil 1. Mix the yeast with water and leave for 5 minutes (till it has some sort of mousse on top). 2. Combine all dry ingredients in the robot. 3. Add the oil and the yeast mix. >> Mix until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is sticky add flour; if it is too dry add water. 4. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with a plastic wrap. Keep in a warm area for about 1 hour. The tip: you can do the dough overnight and keep it in the fridge until the next day! Bon Appetite, The Urban Apron

French Ratatouille

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Ratatouille is the epitome of Provençal vegetable stews made primarily of eggplants, zucchinis and ripened tomatoes. I got the chance to try this authentic dish during my vacation in south of France. First, the vegetables are sautéed individually in oil before being stewed, so they keep their shape and texture. Then the addition of thyme and basil to the vegetables will make all the difference. This dish still tastes excellent when reheated, and can be eaten both cold and hot as an hors d’oeuvre topped with small black olives and lots of bread. This recipe can also be adapted with other vegetables of your choice but I wanted to try the authentic recipe and bring back the taste of my holiday. Ingredients: 3 Eggplants 3 Zucchini 2 peeled Bell peppers (red, orange, green or yellow) 2 Onions 5 ripened Tomatoes; peeled, halved and seeded 4 Garlic cloves 2 sprigs Thyme 2 sprigs Basil 2 bay leaves Oile Oil Salt & Pepper 1. Prepare the vegetables: Dice the onions and roughly chop the peppers, zucchinis, and tomatoes into cubes. Mince the garlic. keep each …