OLIVE N FETA CHEESE SALAD

This ones not so difficult...fast n easy i wud say...

6 medium-small sized turnips
3 medium sized carrots
3 medium sized cucumbers
2 pickled cucumbers
2 big tomatoes
250gm fetta cheese
10 olives
1tbsp dill
salt to taste
1tsp olive oil
1/2 lemon

cut the turnip, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes to same small quarter size, sprinkle salt, olive oil,
add olives,dill,squeeze in the lemon,,,and giv it a good stir to mix well and let the tomatoes leave some of its juice in the mix...

cut into cubes and add the fetta cheese (cus if you add it earlier it wud break apart in the stir) and stir gently again.

TOASTED MOZARELLA CHEESE BREAD

nothing at ma palce, just a loaf of bread and mozarella cheese...and ma oven!

FRIED CHICKEN LIVER

1/2 kg chicken liver (Kaleji)
1 tbsp pepper
2-3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 lime
3-4 tbsp oil
Salt - to taste

1. Slice liver into 2 × 1 inch pieces. Sprinkle salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce and leave to marinate for 2-3 hours or longer.
2. Heat oil in frying pan, add marinated liver and fry on medium heat till just about done (around 7-10 minutes).
3. It should be spongy to the touch. Do not overcook as it will become hard and dry. Remove from heat, sprinkle lime juice and serve in its own gravy.

EASY PASTA SALAD

Perfect for those hot summer days we left behind us about a week ago here ;-)

Pasta of your choice
Cucumber
Leek or onion - you can boil the onions for a few minutes if you want them sweeter
Tomatoes
Bell pepper/chili pepper
Peas
Kidney beans/chick peas or whatever else you like
I usually add meat - pre-cooked chicken in small pieces or mortadella like in the pic
Olive oil
Lemon juice/white vinegar
garlic, crushed or finely chopped
Salt, pepper
Dried mint, if desired

Boil pasta, drain and cool. Prepare the other ingredients. Place everything in a bowl, add dressing and mix well. Let stand for a while for flavour to develop. This should last a few days in the fridge as long as you don't add lettuce or other vegetables that wilt easily.

STUFFED CHILI PEPPER

Chili peppers, preferrably not too small as they won't hold much!
Minced/ground meat
Cooked yellow lentils (or exclude these and just use meat)
Chopped onion
Finely chopped garlic
Tomato paste
Grated cheese
Salt, pepper
Harissa or hot sauce, if desired
Cumin

Set oven to 225 degrees Celsius. Fry minced/ground meat. Add onions and garlic. Add tomato paste (and harissa or hot sauce if desired) and a little water. Season and let simmer until some of the liquid has reduced. Let cool. Meanwhile, wash peppers, cut of stems and cut them open. Use cold water and be careful not to touch your eyes. When the meat mixture has cooled down a bit, mix with cheese and adjust seasoning. Stuff peppers and place in a greased, ovenproof pan. Place in middle of oven for about 20 minutes. Serve with for instance rice and a salad.

ALOO VADAE- FROM ZAYNAB WHO DEFENITELY CAN COOK:-)

1/2 kg potatoes
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp white cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1-2 tsp oil
25 g fresh coriander, chopped
25 g small green chillies, finely chopped
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

Batter
125 g besan/gram flour
1 egg
salt to taste

*For the batter mix gram flour, beaten egg, salt and enough water for a thin consistency batter.

Boil and skin potatoes. Mash well. Heat oil and turmeric, garlic and cumin seeds.
*Fry for a minute or two. Add mashed potatoes and salt and mix well. Remove from heat, add green chillies and coriander and mix well.
*Shape into small balls about 1 inch in diameter, dip in the batter and deep fry vadae in hot oil until light brown.
*Serve immediately with tamarind chutney or red garlic chutney.

Note: You can also place a small cube of cottage cheese inside vadae and continue with frying.

FRIED RICE EGG MIXD VEGES

I used a packet of frozen mixed veges. i stir fried 150g of them with 2medium finely chopped onions, 4 pieces of garlic mashed, salt to taste.

made an omlette. cut it into small cubes.

rice i used par boiled , after boiling 500g i fried it with 2-3 pieces of garlic, one onion, soya sauce, salt, a pinch of sugar added the vege stir fry, and the omlette cubes and fried more till all rice turn golden brown.

serve hot, decorate with the veges decorated all around

RAJIN'S 1ST HOMEMADE PIZZA

1 ready made pizzadough
layers with  tomato sauce/salsa, ( prepared wid parsley, tomatoes, onion, garlic), Mozzarella cheese, shrooms, sweet corn, capscicum, olives, minced meat, cheddar cheese
I was a bit too over zealous with the toppings:-)

MUTABAL - EGGPLANT SALAD

2 eggplants (medium size)
tahineh (sesame seed paste)
lemon juice
cloves peeled garlic
salt
Olive oil
finely chopped fresh lentils.

Bake the pierced eggplants in the oven for 30-40

on high heat

Cool  and remove skin
Blend the eggplants, the tahineh, the lemon juice, the garlic, and the salt in a food processor until smooth.
Mix some lentil and olive oil.

GARLIC-ONION MASHED POTATOES

potatoes
garlic
red onion
spring onion
salt & pepper

peel /cook potatoes and mash them.
chop onions and garlic fine and add to the potatoes.
mix good and season with salt and pepper.
garnish with corn and if lemon

MARWA'S DEVILED EGGS

inspired by tati's recipe thx Ingredients: (24 tapas)
12 Large eggs
Parsley
24 Anchovy fillets
Juice of 1 lemon
6 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons English mustard
Cracked black peper

1. Boil the eggs for 8 – 10 minutes.
2. Let the eggs cool then peel, slice in half – remove the yolks and place into a cazuela.
3. Arrange the egg whites on a large server/cazuela.
4. To prepare the filling add the mayonnaise, mustard, capers (optional), pepper and lemon juice to the egg yolks and mix well.
5. Fill the egg halves with the mix and place one fish fillet over each half.
6. Garnish with broadleaf parsley.

MUSSEL TAPAS A LA MARWA

This is a great seafood recipe, if you like your mussels and need to try something different then these stuffed mussels will not disappoint. Stacks of flavour and a combination that really does work well.

2 kilos large mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
2 medium red peppers, finely chopped
1 large green pepper, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 sprig of fresh thyme
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons plain flour
2 cusp of milk
Salt and pepper
Manchego cheese, parma cheese or turkish hardcheese whatever is avalable :) (grated)

1. Steam the mussels in a large saucepan for 5 minutes or so until opened. Drain and when they are cool enough to handle, remove each mussel and place in an oven proof dish spaced evenly apart. Keep one half of each shell.
2. In a large frying pan, melt the butter and sauté the vegetables.
3. Add the flour and seasoning and cook for a few minutes then slowly add the milk until you have a thick paste.
4. Cover the mussels with the vegetable mix and cook in a medium oven for 10 - 12 minutes.
5. While the mussels are cooking, arrange the retained half shells on a baking tray.
6. Remove the dish from the oven (turn the oven up to high at this point) and fill each mussel shell with a mussel and some vegetable mix. Take care as the mixture will be quite hot.
7. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and return to the oven for a few minutes until the cheese melts a little.

FRIED CALMARI

Ingredients for 4 persons

1 kg calmar rings
300 gr. Semolina flour
300 gr. Flour
1 litrFresh full cream milk
Salt

Place the calmar rings in a large bowl, pour the milk and let them soften for 15 minutes, then drain.
Coat the rings with flour adding a few squid rings at a time
Now heat the seed oil in a large frying pan and fry the squid rings until golden brown
When squid rings are cooked turn off the heat, remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper
Salt to taste and place in a serving dish.

SPANISH MEATBALLS

This Spanish meatball recipe could be used as spagetti or pasta sauce , or served with white rie and peas or even served with freshly baked bread as a dipp .

500g minced beef
3-4 cloves garlic
1 onion
parsley
1 egg (beaten)
4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 slices stale bread
milk
flour
salt
pepper
olive oil

How to cook:
1. In a blender , crush 2 cloves of garlic with the parsley and mix
2. Place this mixture in a large bowl with the mince, mix well and then leave to stand for 20 minutes.
3. Place the bread in a shallow dish and cover with the milk. Leave to soak for a few minutes
4. Add the bread, egg, salt and pepper to the mince and knead until all the ingredients are mixed together.
5. Make small balls and roll each one in flour.
6. Cook in plenty of hot oil until they turn golden brown, drain and place in a casserole dish.

For the sauce:
1. Finely chop the onion and the remaining garlic
2. Place a little oil from the meatballs into a casserole dish or large earthenware dish
3. Add the onion and garlic and gently fry until they begin to brown.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes
5. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes
6. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and then place in a moderate oven for 20 - 25 minutes.
** add water when needed to make the sauce a bit lighter if you like

u know sometimes u are just not in the mood for veggies but this you cant resist as it doesnt taste at all veggies lol specially when it is so colorful.

1 medium red pepper
1 medium green pepper
1 medium onion
8-10 mushrooms
Fresh or dried thyme
Olive oil

1.Wash the peppers and cut into bite sized slices. Wash and trim the mushrooms and cut in half. Peel the onion and slice.
2.Make up the kebabs alternating vegetables as you go.
3.In a large shallow dish or cazuela, big enough for the kebabs to fit pour in two cupfuls of olive oil and a generous amount of thyme. Add the kebabs and allow to marinade in the oil turning now and then for an hour or so.
4.Cook on the barbecue or grill until cooked through.

Aubergine, courgette and cherry tomatoes are also great on these kebabs

my aubergine tapas version of fatma's recipe :) it's a must try !

300 gr Aubergines

1 egg
Bread crumb
80 gram grated cheese (feta or parmesan)
1 tblsp chopped parsley
1 small garlic clove grated
Salt & Pepper

Wash and peel the aubergines and cut in pieces. Boil them in salted water until tender. Drain them well and mash them well until they become pulp.

Place in a bowl. Beat the egg with a fork and mix with the pulp. Add the other ingredients and shape the mixture into balls, bake them in oil until brown.
( if the mixture is not thick enough add more bread crumb or some flour)

SQUID SALAD

boilt squids rings
herbs ( of your choice)
lemon zest
salt n pepper
garlic clove
spinach ( boilt n drained)

serve it cold after mixing it and marinading for not less than an hour
enjoy :)

COLD SQUID N CHICKPEAS SALAD

4 red peppers
2 x 400g cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
big bunch of parsley, roughly chopped

1 red chili, deseeded and chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

100ml olive oil

600g cleaned squid, sliced into rings, tentacles kept whole (get your fishmonger to do this for you)

200g cooking chorizo (HALAL), cut into chickpea size chunks (see picture)
juice and zest of 1 large lemon

serve it with BBQ

SQUID OR CALAMARI - THIS IS THE QUESTION?

If you are here for the recipe then , too bad, i am here to be a value added cook lol in the pic u can see mouthwatering deep fried squids( same recipe as calamari , check  at the end of this post) but they have deeper flavor than the chewy calamairi , it is also shaped smaller when its sliced into rings

well, maybe you will be more intrested to know the difference , as i was curious to learn more about this beloved octupus shaped creature :)
The word calamari is the plural form of the Italian word for squid, Calamaro.
It's calamar in Spanish. The name derives from the Latin word calamarium for "ink pot."

Since calamari seems to sound more palatable than the word squid, you will most often see squid recipes listed as calamari on restaurant menus, recipes, etc. It's one of those words that just "sounds better" or "has class," according to some people. Whether you eat calamari or squid, you're eating the same critter.
for us ( medetirranian CREATORS lol we love both ,but squids are more tasty of course, i v tried all , and always felt more in touch with my taste instinct when i cooked squids

to differenciate between them while you hunt for your own :
They are very similar except that squid are much larger. If you go to a fish market, you can appreciate the difference in size , calmari is like a huge cone with slim ends ,squids are smaller and they have shorter legs

Spanish recipes use both squid and cuttlefish, depending on the dish., and they are a little tough when you chew on them
calamares are called "chipirones* in some areas ........
just thought you might be intrested lol

I dip in batter :made of one can of malt beverage(like any brand of non alcoholic beverage ) and add to that flour and cumin+ppr n salt& garlic powder ,mix that all and dip the calmai and deep fry :) enjoy with sauce of yr choice

TERIYAKI MARINATED SHRIMPS AND CHICKEN

working on the skillet

marinating shrimps and chicken on skewers and leave it for an overnight ,while refregirating in order to b ready for a speedy cooking method if you dont desire to put yr fire on shock indoors :

Teriyaki Marinade:
3/4 cups soy sauce
1/4 cupvinegar
1/4 cup sesame oil
3 Tbs. ketchup
1 Tbs. brown sugar
3 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 " of fresh ginger peeled and minced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne