HOMECOOKING WITH TERESA

Today I had an interesting day in regards to my cooking. I had planned to make Nachos, but unfortunately the avocados were still rock hard, and I love to serve them with guacamole, so I decided to make some Buckwheat pancakes with smoked salmon instead, and was looking for a salad to go with them. I found this one and thought it would be perfect, and I really thought I had most of the ingredients. The first step was to make the dressing with yoghurt and harissa, and I knew I had some, but when I checked the due date, it was almost a year too old, so I couldn't use it and I checked if I could make the harissa myself. I found a recipe for Rose harissa that I could make in the Thermomix. Luckily I had ALL ingredients, so I proceeded to make it and it took me about 30 minutes. It turned out delicious! Then, I proceeded to prepare the salad and decided to change it a bit and add some mixed salad leaves and to pickle the onion. I didn't have any hearts of palm, but I had marinated ar...

This was another easy meal for a Sunday dinner. I had some halloumi in the fridge that needed to be eaten and found this very tasty recipe. It took nothing to cook and it was delish. I used toasted Turkish bread rolls instead of pitta bread but followed the recipe for the rest of the ingredients: fried tomato slices with oregano, bacon, halloumi and tomato sauce with homemade rose harissa. Sooo good! Ingredients 4 streaky bacon rashers 2 tomatoes, thin disc trimmed from the top and base of each, then cut into thick slices 1 teaspoon dried wild oregano olive oil 250g block of halloumi cheese, cut into 6 slices 2 pitta breads or Turkish bread rolls freshly ground black pepper For the sauce 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup 1 tablespoon rose harissa Method Line a plate with a double layer of kitchen paper. Heat a frying pan over a high heat and fry the bacon until crisp on both sides. Remove and transfer to the paper-lined plate to drain.  Wipe the pan clean and place over a medium-high he...

I was tempted to cook a Baklava. I have very fond memories of eating Baklava in Istanbul many years ago. There was a cake shop on the way to our hotel and we couldn't go past without stopping and trying a different sweet every day.  They were amazing!! However, I also wanted to try a recipe I had seen in one of my cookbooks of a pork & fennel baklava, and I wanted to try it because I also had fond memories from eating 'Pastilla' in Marrakesh. So, I decided to create my own recipe and made a traditional dish from Southern Turkey called 'Patlicanli Kebap' and to use it as a filling for my baklava. The result was just amazing... Loved the saltiness of the feta combined with the spiciness of the chicken mixture and finished with the sweet orange and cayenne syrup. Delicious!! It is not a difficult recipe to make, but it took me a long time to make it. I'd say I spent 3 hours plus in the kitchen, so it is something to do for a special occasion or a weekend me...

A lovely vegetarian dish. These quiches are easy to make and they are very tasty. I added a salad of asparagus, grape tomatoes, cornichons and olives dressed with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and champagne vinegar and topped with some fresh basil leaves. However, you can serve the quiches with whatever salad you fancy or even as a side dish for your favourite meat.  INGREDIENTS 1 cauliflower olive oil 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp sweet paprika a small handful of thyme leaves, chopped 300 ml double or thick cream 250g creamy goat's cheese 3 large eggs Maldon sea salt flakes 3 sheets of filo pastry (optional) METHOD: Chop the cauliflower florets and stem into 1cm cubes and put them in a large frying pan set over a medium heat. Dry-fry for a couple of minutes to extract any excess moisture, stirring frequently. Drizzle in a little olive oil, continuously moving the cauliflower around the pan to avoid it browning. Add the pepper, paprik...

Another delicious meal from the same cookbook, Feasts by Sabrina Ghayour. Middle Eastern recipes with a Persian flavour. This dish would be perfectly paired with Coriander, Lime and Garlic rice (see below), but because I used the recipe as part of our Pure Protein Diet, we ate the chops alone. Finger licking food. They were delicious!!  INGREDIENTS 9 lamb chops (about 1kg) For the marinade 4 big garlic cloves, crushed a small bunch of coriander, finely chopped zest of 1 lemon 1 Tbsp coarse black pepper 4-5 Tbsp olive oil Maldon sea salt flakes METHOD: Put the garlic, coriander, lemon zest, black pepper and a pinch of Maldon salt in a bowl. Add the oil and mix well. Put the lamb chops into a large food bag and pour the marinade into the bag.  Seal the bag, then use your hands to work the marinade into the meat. Marinate at room temperature for a minimum of 20 minutes (although you can do this for a few hours in the fridge, too). Set a larg...

A scrumptious recipe! I had never heard of 'shawarma' and it is one of the best street foods in the world, typical of Egypt. It is cooked in a similar way like doner kebabs. The marinade gives the meat a fantastic flavour. You can taste it already while you are cooking the chicken! It makes your mouth water. The first time I served it with Lebanese bread, but you can use pita bread or just served in a platter with other vegetables and pickles.  INGREDIENTS 600g boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper  4 big garlic cloves, crushed finely grated zest of 1 lemon juice of 1/2 lemon 4 Tbsp Greek yoghurt olive oil Maldon sea salt flakes freshly ground black pepper To serve 6-8 round flatbread of your choosing 200g good-quality hummus or Greek yoghurt 4 large tomatoes, sliced, then each slice cut in half 1 large red onion, halved and finel...