Quick Rice Pudding (Payesh)

Rice pudding is universal comfort food. Usually it is very labour intensive to make, takes a long time standing by the cooker and stirring continuously to thicken the milk without burning. This is my version, it is quick, no standing over by the cooker and stirring for ages. It is also very different than most rice pudding because I use sticky rice (Binni-vat) and palm sugar.

8 Servings

Ingredients:

1. Evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk, see picture) 1 can (410 ml)
2. Cream 1 cup (or 300 ml as it comes in a tub)
3. Sugar or Jaggery (Palm sugar / Gur) to taste (1/4 to 1/2 cup) 
4. 1/2 tsp Salt
5. Sticky rice 1 cup 
6. Saffron / Rosewater (optional)

Make the Milk mixture:

• Mix 1+2+3+4 > Taste and adjust sweetness and flavour.

Cook Rice

• Cook 1 cup Sticky Rice in 3 cups of water in rice cooker 
• If you don't have a rice cooker; cook on medium heat > Bring to simmer > Cover and simmer on very low heat for 30 mins or until all water is absorbed. 
• or you can cook in microwave > 1 cup sticky rice + 3 cups hot water in a microwave-proof bowl > cook for 10-15 minutes depending on the power of the micro.

Bake in the oven:

• Pre-heat the oven to 150c
• Mix the hot rice with the Milk mixture and pour in an oven-proof dish.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Take it out and let it cool > chill.

* Make it one day ahead, remember rice pudding thicken with time, so if it looks too runny, don't worry, tomorrow it will be in right consistency. If it is too thick for your liking, next time add more evaporated milk and adjust the sweetness. Soon you will come up with your perfect recipe!

Variations: You can replace cream with coconut milk. You can add desiccated coconut, sultanas and garnish with chopped pistachios, choice is yours.

Moussaka

Moussaka is an eggplant (aubergine) or potato-based dish, including ground meat, in the cuisines of the countries of the former Ottoman Empire, with many local and regional variations. In Turkey, it is sautéed and served in the style of a casserole, and consumed warm or at room temperature. In Arabic countries, a variant is eaten cold. In the Balkans, the dish is layered and typically served hot. Many versions have a top layer made of milk-based sauce thickened with egg or flour (béchamel sauce). Source: Wikipedia

There are many versions, here is the classic Greek version, simplified:

Servings: 6-8  

Ingredients:

• 2 firm medium eggplants (aurbegine) 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion > finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves > finely chopped
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 500 g mince meat
• 2 cups Tomato puree (sauce)
• 1 cup Ketchup
• ¼ cup chopped parsley (green coriander)
• 75 g butter
• 75 g plain flour
• 75 g finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese (if not available use any cheese you like)
• 600 ml (2½ cups) milk
• 3 eggs, beaten
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation

Eggplant:

• Cut the eggplants into 5 mm-thick rounds
• Brush with olive oil.
• Put onto baking paper-lined oven trays.
• Bake at 180°C for about 20-25 minutes until soft.

Meat Sauce

• Heat oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and cook the onion until it is soft.
• Add the garlic, cinnamon and oregano; cook for a further 2 minutes.
• Add the mince meat, increase the heat to high and brown the mince well > cook until the mixture is quite dry.
• Add the tomato sauce and Ketchup, bring to a simmer and cook for 30–35 minutes, stirring occasionally until thick.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the parsley.

White Sauce (béchamel sauce):

• Melt the butter (75 g) in
  a saucepan.
• Stir the flour (75 g) into the butter and cook for a couple of minutes,
• Then gradually whisk in the milk (600  ml), in batches.
• Bring to a simmer, cook, whisking occasionally for 5-6 minutes or until thick.
• Stir in the cheese (75g).
• Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Whisk in the eggs (3)
• Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Layer: Eggplant - Meat sauce – Eggplant - White sauce (in that order)

Baking:  180°C (preheated) for 35-45 minutes (until puffed and golden)

(Stand for 15 minutes before serving)

Pumpkin Risotto

Another version of heavenly Risotto. It's completely vegetarian, it tastes so good you don't need to add anything else.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 600g chopped pumpkin (1 medium butternut squash will do)
• 4 Cups vegetable stock (4 Knorr veg stock pots in 4 cups hot water)
• Olive oil 2 tbsp
• Butter 2 tbsp
• Parmesan cheese 2 tbsp
• Risotto Rice 1 cup

Cooking

• Cook the pumpkin in 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter for 20 min in very low heat, covered,
• After 20 min keep few pumpkin pieces (8-10) and blend the rest with 1 cup of stock to a smooth puree.
• Fry 1 cup risotto rice in 1 tbsp olive oil for 1 min. 
• Add the pumpkin puree and stock > bring to boil 
• Turn the heat way down low, cover & simmer for 10 mins
• Add 1 tbsp Butter + 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese. 
• Give it a stir
• Cover and simmer for another 10 min.
• Turn off the heat 
• Add the saved pumpkin pieces and mix

Garnish:Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of Parmesan and some greens (parsley, rockets, basil or anything like that) 

Pastitsio

This is an adaptation of the Italian classic dish Lasagna. It is also spelled Pasticcio. In this dish pasta is used instead of lasagna sheets. My version is an Indian adaptation. I use Garam Masala instead of all those Mediterranean herbs and spices that wont be available everywhere, particularly in the east. It may not have the flavour of the Med but to me it's tastier with more exotic flavours, call me biased!

• Pasta 500g (tubular type)
• Minced meat 1 kg
• Olive oil 2 tbsp
• Onion 1 > Chopped
• Garlic 5-6 cloves > Chopped
• Salt 2 tsp
• Garam Masala 2 tsp
• Eggs 2 > Beaten
• Lasagna sauce 500 ml*
• White sauce  500 ml*
• Grated Parmesan Cheese 100 g
• Fresh bread crumb > 1 cup (take crust off 3-4 slices of white bread, pulverise them in food processor)

*You can make both sauces, see how at the bottom

Make meat sauce:

• Fry garlic and onion in olive oil until soft and slightly brown
• Add minced meat and cook over medium heat until brown
• Add 2 tsp salt and 2-3 tsp garam masala
• Add Lasagna sauce (or Tomato sauce)
• cook for 2 minutes > set aside

Cook pasta

• In boiling hot water for 10 minutes (add some salt 3 tsp and oil 1 tbsp in the water)
• Drain 
• After few minutes add 1 cup white sauce + 2 beaten eggs + 25 g grated Parmesan cheese (or Mozzarella) > Set aside

Preheat oven. 180c

Layering:

• Brush the inside of the dish with oil (dish should be at least 4 inch deep)
• Spread ⅓rd of pasta at the bottom of the dish
• Spread ½ of meat sauce over
• Spread another ⅓rd of pasta
• Spread rest of the meat sauce over 
• spread final layer of pasta
• Spread remaining white sauce over
• Mix remaining cheese with breadcrumbs and sprinkle them over the top. 

Bake for 40 minutes

*Making white sauce and tomato sauce: 

White sauce. Melt 100 g butter in a saucepan on medium heat, stir 100 g plain flour, then cook for 2 mins. Slowly add in 1 pint milk, then bring to boil, stirring continuously, add salt to taste. 

Tomato sauce. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan. Add 2 onions, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, sliced and 2 cans of chopped tomato (about 800g), bring to boil, add salt to taste. 

Options: if you really want the authentic Mediterranean flavour, why not, replace Garam masala with, oregano, basil, cinnamon and nutmeg (Garam masala has some of these in it). There is a shortcut way, you can buy italian OXO cubes or Italiam mixed spices.

Smoked salmon & mango salad

Recipe by Monira

Ingredients:

• 100g Smoked salmon sliced & shredded 
• 2 tbs Finely Grated Mango (preferably green mango or very firm & just ripe mango - not too sweet or ripe)
• 1-2 tsp Lemon/lime juice 
• 1 Green/spring onion chopped
• 1-2 tsp Mustard oil
• 1/4 tsp Red chilli flakes (to taste)
• Seasoning (salt & pepper to taste 
• Lettuce leaves (preferably gem lettuce or iceberg)

Peel & grate mango (use food processor or manual grater), sprinkle with lemon juice & drain mango (using a large sieve) & retain juices;

Layer lettuce, smoked salmon, grated mango, chopped spring onions;

Make dressing using retained mango juice, mustard oil, chilli flakes and seasoning (keep salt amount low as smoked salmon adds salt) and coat layered salad with the dressing before serving 

Smoked mackerel and mango salad

Recipe by Monira

• 200-300 g smoked mackerel (can use smoked peppered mackerel instead)
• 1 firm & unripe mango (make sure not too soft or sweet, can use green mango as substitute)   
• 1-2 tbs Lemon/lime juice (half small lemon)
• 3-4 Green/Spring onions chopped 
• 1/2 Red onions sliced into rings & chopped 
• 2-3 tsp Chilli flakes (to taste) or green chillis chopped finely 
• 1-2 tbs Mustard oil
• Seasoning (salt & pepper to taste)
• Lettuce leaves (gem lettuce or iceberg) 

Peel & grate mango (preferably use a food processor or use manual grater), sprinkle with lemon juice & drain mango (using a large sieve) & retain juices;

Shred smoked mackerel and mix with drained mango , spring & red onion, chilli flakes or green chilli) 

Make dressing using retained mango juice, mustard oil, and seasoning (keep salt amount low as smoked mackerel adds salt); 

Layer lettuce, add mixed mackerel & mango salad, coat with dressing and serve 

Lemon Orange Cake

Why settle for a store-bought ordinary cake glorified by fancy decoration, haven't you had those enough? Why not make this exotic cake instead. This a citrus cake, it's sharp and sweet! Making it is a piece of cake!

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon
• 1 large orange
• 250g Flour
• 250g Butter (or Margerine) 
• 250g Sugar
• 4 Eggs
• 1 tsp Baking powder

Making the cake-mix:

A food processor makes it easy to mix, but if you don't have one, just use a hand mixer or a whisk.

• Put Flour, Butter, Sugar, Eggs and Baking powder in the food processor.
• Grate the lemon and orange skin (save some for decoration and add most of it to the food processor.
• Cut the lemon and orange in half and squeeze and collect the juices in a cup (no seeds) > add to the food processor.
• Mix all the ingredients

Baking

• Pre-heat the oven to 180c
• Butter the inside of the tin (I used a 9 inch tin)
• Cut and place a baking paper to cover the bottom of the tin.
• Pour the cake mix in the tin > shake to distribute evenly.
• Place it in the middle of a preheated oven (180 c) for 45 minutes. 

Timing is very important, use a timer. After 45 minutes bring it out and push a small knife through the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean, it's done. If not put it back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. After first time you made it you will know the exact correct time for your tin and oven. Once done leave it out to cool.

Icing ( also called Frosting):

• 250g Mascarpone cheese*
• 4 tbsp Icing sugar
• whip it up
• spread over and around.
• decorate with sprinkling the saved shredded lemon and orange skin

*If Mascarpone cheese is not available you can use Cream cheese or use Buttercream Frosting >(mix 125g butter + 250g of icing sugar + 1 tbsp milk + and whip it up)