Perfect Breakfast: Sweet Bulgur with Grapefruit Pulp Frosting & Orange Blossom Water

There is no denying that my favourite time of the day is morning and my favourite meal of the day is...guess what? - dinner! Well, I do my best not to skip breakfast and when I have more than ten minutes to spare in the kitchen, I experiment with something new. This is how my "Perfect Breakfast" series started on Lemon Love Notes.

This morning I revamped half a cup of bulgur,  I sweetened it and gave it a truly Middle Eastern treatment. I simply love bulgur and surely, there must be more than one way of cooking it, apart from using it in tabouleh or Bulgur Salad with Mint & Pomegranates *delicious*

Sweet Bulgur w Honey, Grapefruit Pulp Frosting & Pistachios

Type of cuisine: Middle Eastern/Fusion

Ingredients

(for 2 persons)

half a cup of bulgur

2 tbs of clear honey

orange blossom water

the pulp of a freshly squeezed grapefruit

a handful of hydrated pistachios

orange rind preserve

la vie en rose

Method

Steam the bulgur until it becomes fluffy. 

Squeeze the grapefruit (drink the juice, keep the pulp) ;)

Hydrate the pistachios in warm water and shell them.

Once the bulgur soaks in all the water and becomes fluffy, pour a generous measure of orange blossom water and clear acacia honey, mix, cover and let the flavours mix for 10 minutes. Place the fluffy bulgur in a bowl, add 2 spoonfuls of grapefruit pulp frosting & sprinkle some pistachios. Finally, put the orange rind preserve on top for a bit of drama. 

I went for sweet bulgur this morning as I realized that I had forgotten to hydrate the wheat berries the night before. Bulgur is amazing in this combination; the grapefruit pulp boosts the flavours magically while the orange blossom water, orange rind preserve and pistachios pair so well. I will definitely repeat this experiment some time very, very soon! Maybe next time I'll follow Joumana's Sweet Bulgur with Grape Molasses or I'll spice it up with ginger, cinnamon & nutmeg. The sky is the limit :))

Dej Jawaneh

Whenever we go to El Bacha, our favourite Lebanese restaurant in Bucharest, we order various cold and hot starters, including dej jawaneh. Dej Jawaneh? That's chicken wings, cooked Lebanese style. They are served in a delicious minty and garlicky sauce I have many times tried to copy at home. Hélas, no matter how hard I tried, it never seemed to be quite like the real thing. However, when Joumana posted the Wings Lebanese-style recipe on her blog, I started drooling all over the screen thinking of all the nice meals & evenings we had at El Bacha. No more dreaming, I acted on the spot. I had tried and failed in the past in my pursuit to make perfect jawaneh, but with a trick I learned from Joumana, these jawaneh brought back the authentic smell and taste of the Middle East.

This is why I am blogging about them today. If they were not amazing, I wouldn't dare recommend them to you. 

Dej Jawaneh

inspired by and adapted from Taste of Beirut, my favourite Middle Eastern food blog

Type of cuisine: Middle Eastern/Lebanese

Ingredients

500 gr of chicken wings

approx 3 lemon wedges

a pinch of salt

crushed garlic 

2 tsp of coriander

a pinch of cinnamon

a small bunch of parsley/fresh coriander, finely chopped

olive oil

zataar and sumac to decorate 

Method

Preheat the oven @ 160 degrees Celsius.

Rinse the chicken wings then dry them with a paper towel. Chop the parsley and crush the garlic cloves. Rub each wing with a lemon wedge and sprinkle the salt, coriander & cinnamon all over. Add the garlic and half of the parsley. Squeeze the remaining lemon juice and drip some olive oil. Toss. 

Ideally, marinate the wings for a couple of hours before you roast them in the oven for about 1h. Make sure to flip them two or three times before taking them out of the oven. This way they will roast evenly.

The idea is that the meat should be tender while the skin should be mildly crunchy (yet not burned).  Finally, add the other half of parsley and extra lemon juice, if you wish. Decorate with sumac or home made zataar. 

I love the sizzling sound they make when you squeeze the lemon juice and the unmistakable smell of ... a small bedouin town lost in the vastness of the Arabian desert. Grilled chicken, bukhari rice, yoghurt dips, Lipton with mint and lots of sugar :) - that's what I love about Middle Eastern food. Simplicity and scrumptiousness around the table. What more can I ask for? 

 

"In the villages, or in the tents of the nomads, there will often be no furniture. The guest room, mandarah, is spread with coloured rugs or carpets and with quilts, mattresses and cushions laid around the walls for people to sit on. Usually no chambers are furnished as bedrooms. The bed, during the day, is rolled up and placed to one side or, when one is available, in a small adjoining room called a khazneh which is used as a bedroom in winter. During the summer many people in the towns and villages sleep on the flat root tops. The center of the men's room, which is usually regarded as a reception room, is kept empty. The guests sit around with their backs to the walls.

All Middle Easterners are very hospitable. The unwritten rule is to please one's family, guests or hosts. It is a great honour to be a quest, but a greater honour to be a host. When an unexpected guest  arrives a space is immediately created for him at the head of the table and coffee is offered. He must never refuse, to do so is taken as an offence. 

When food is served it is brought either on a large dish or in numerous small dishes and placed on the ground in the middle of the room. The guest is then invited to join the family.  [...] Before he sits down at the table the guest will wash his hands with soap and water in a copper basin, or, at least, have some water poured over his right hand. He is then offered a napkin. He must never refuse dishes that have been sampled by others present at dinner, to do so will give great offence. He must comment on the delicacy of the aroma emanating from the meal, pay little compliments such as on the tenderness of the meat or the thinnest of the housewife's kibbeh or the sweetness of the baklava, etc. [...] The master of the house first begins to eat, the guests and others immediately follow his example. Neither knives of forks are used; the thumb and the two fingers of the right hand serve instead of those instruments; but spoons are used for soup,s or rice or other things that cannot easily be taken [...]

Each person breaks off a small piece of bread, dips it in the dish, and then conveys it to his mouth, together with a small portion of the meat or other contents if the dish. The piece of bread is generally doubled together, so as to enclose the morsel of meat.

...The above lines from Edward William Lane's brilliant book Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians are as true today as when they were first written in 1836. Very little has changed in the social and cultural attitudes of the average Middle Easterner. Perhaps he doesn't sit on the floor, but uses a table and chairs, knives and forks, has table napkins, several plates instead of one, but the traditional Middle Eastern manners and rules of etiquette still remain".

(Taken from Middle Eastern Cookery by Arto Der Haroutunian, a comprehensive book on Middle  Eastern cuisine I recommend with all my heart.)

Sweet Potato & Carrot Hummus

When it comes to hummus, I don't stick only to the classic version with chickpeas. Variety is the spice of life, so I have also tried sweet peas hummus, beet hummus, carrot hummus etc. It's always good to be open-minded.  I love new combinations and if it's something I make for the first time, I cook a very small quantity to test and sample. If it's good, I'll increase the measures, if it's bad, at least I'm not sorry to have tried. No regrets if it lands in the bin.

Some weekends ago I cooked a delicious roast sweet potato and carrot hummus after being inspired and blown away by Joumana's beautiful squash hummus. I just loved the bright colour of the squash and I could only imagine the taste. As I was drooling all over the screen, I had to think quickly of a replacement for squash as I had none in the house.
So I ended up with a sweet potato and carrot version that was absolutely addictive. It disappeared so fast :)

Roast Sweet Potato & Carrot Hummus

inspired by Squash Hummus by Taste of  Beirut *love*

Type of cuisine: Middle Eastern/Fusion

Ingredients

4 carrots

2 sweet potatoes

2 tbs tahini paste

1 tsp toasted cumin seeds

2-3 cloves of garlic 

parsley/fresh coriander to sprinkle on top

Method

Chop roughly the carrots, the garlic and the sweet potatoes and place them on a baking sheet. Roast them for 40 minutes until the become tender. 

Mash the lot and add the tahini, the toasted cumin seeds and the chopped  parsley on top. 

Generally, when I make chickpea hummus I add coriander seeds and a squeeze of lemon juice, but this time I didn't because sweet potatoes are bold and they stand out. I feel they don't need to be spiced up. Sweet potatoes and carrots make a great team together, however you could easily make a fabulous carrot hummus as well as a sweet potato hummus. 

As autumn is in full swing, I am planning a pumpkin hummus asap. The sky is the limit :)

grilled courgette & chickpea salad, labneh w crushed mint & olive oil, mustard dip

Sunday lunch

Avocado Aubergine Guacamole, California & the Story of the Blue Apron

An unforgettable song is like an old oaky red. It's strange how the mind works. I was listening to Mylene Farmer's California on heavy rotation (yes, almost obsessively) and the powerful lyrics haunted me like an echo. 

Changer d'optique, prendre l'exit

Et m'envoyer en Amerique

...

La chaleur de l'abandon

C'est comme une symphonie

...

Sous ma peau j'ai LA en overdose

"The warmth of the abandon it's like a symphony", the itchy feet, the desire to leave, to travel to far-away places, even if I had to dive into the past- the first trip to France, 1996, the year I finished high school, the time and age when it was ok to be so carefree and nonchalant, but passionate enough to have big dreams of your own, "under my skin LA gave me an overdose". 

I can only imagine California basking in the sun and the western waves gently lapping its white sandy beaches. Crimson, velvety and oily wines of Spanish ancestry, fresh and organic ingredients, small, private restaurants hidden behind carefully manicured hedges (it's Hollywood-ville, after all) is my visual sensation of this state. Let's forget about the Kardashians' mishaps, the naked drama and the wannabes on E TV, the desirable it ZIP codes, the Fashion Police show on Saturday night and the eternal quest for physical, yet short-lived beauty... So covetable it's become a melting pot, Californian cuisine should be nothing but a cross between something new and something old, with influences from both Latin America on one hand, and the Old World & Asia on the other hand. 

My dreamy intro leads to this delicious fusion dish here below.

Avocado Aubergine Salad with Zucchini and Zataar

Type of cuisine: Fusion / Middle Eastern, Mexican, Vegetarian, Low Fat

Preparation time: 45 minutes (for baking) +  10 minutes

Ingredients

2 big aubergines 

2 avocados

2 cherry tomatoes

1 zucchini (or courgette)

1 cucumber

a small red onion

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

2 tbs zataar

a pinch of salt 

olive oil

Bake the aubergines in the oven at 180-200 degrees C for 45 minutes.

Preparation

Peel and mash the avocado and the cherry tomatoes, finely dice the zucchini & the red onion, shred the cucumber and toast the sesame seeds.


Peel and pulp the burned aubergines, drain and set aside.

Method

Place all of the above in a large bowl and mix. Add a pinch of salt to season and a little extra virgin olive oil, then work in 1 tbs of zataar.  Keep the rest for decoration.

If you don't find zataar at the supermarket, you shouldn't lose a night's sleep over it. I recommend you make your own zataar at home. Exhale- it's the easiest thing in the world. Just mix sumac, thyme, toasted sesame seeds, fleur de sel, oregano and caraway or cumin seeds and there you are :)

I always use Camargue salt when I cook. Last summer I bought plenty from Saintes Maries de la Mer. (Oh, I've become mushy again... I want to go back.....)

You can learn more about zataar on wikipedia, but if you are not looking forward to a matter-of-fact and impersonal description, then click on Joumana's beautiful blog, Taste of Beirut to read about zataar and so much more: life, passion, home, family and the days of yore.

You probably wonder what's the connection between guacamole and the story of the Blue Apron. The French Laundry is a French restaurant in Yountville, Nappa Valley California where, as I discovered reading their site, they don't just create unique dishes to reinvent new experiences at each morsel: "something so new, so exciting, so comforting, so delicious"... their goal is clear "we don't want to impress you, we want to cook for you and make you happy"...

A great meal is not about the food and the wine. A great meal is an emotional experience". "A great meal is a kind of journey that returns you to the sources of pleasure you may have forgotten and take you to places you have't been before".

And what a great philosophy to have when you run a business! It is exactly how I feel when I cook (on a much, much smaller scale, obviously). Enjoying the taste, the colours and the flavours of the food myself is one thing, but cooking for the people I love is what makes me really happy. Cooking & sharing what you cook is much more than choosing the right spices and ingredients, counting the calories :( or assessing the healthy benefits of the dishes; it's about life and love and the lively conversation started around the table, the feelings that the dish evokes in you, or the desire to explore new boundaries. 

But the story of the Blue Apron is a lesson of life in itself. 

"According to French culinary tradition, white aprons are reserved for those who have ascended to the level of chef, having completed a journey that began as an apprentice wearing a blue apron. 

But within the kitchen of any Thomas Keller restaurant everyone from the commis to the chef de cuisine, wears a blue apron during the hours prior to service, changing into white only once the service begins. 

While respect for tradition is a common thread among the kitchen staff, what's just as important is the desire to constantly learn. Everything can always be done a little better. Everyone can always learn something new. It's the constant exploration that allows the experience to constantly evolve. Assuming an apprentice's mindset for a little each day is a reminder of that." 

...because no matter what your hobby, calling, or profession is, keeping an open mind and always being ready to learn, even when you stumble, then improve and become better at it is the key to success in any venture. 

Humility is the greatest of all virtues. 

Chocolate Tahini Bars with Puffed Rice & Crushed Almonds

A Spanish proverb says "Ideas should be clear and chocolate thick" (Las cosas claras y el chocolate espeso), which I am inclined to agree with. Chocolat....What else can I add? It's a compulsion and an addiction...but when you work the tahini paste into the smooth chocolate lava, then it's double jeopardy! :)

As I was going though the Taste of Beirut blog, I came across this mind-blowing Chocolate-Tahini Rice Bars  recipe and I went "wow", this is something I absolutely have to try ASAP.

I love anything Middle Eastern & Lebanese and I read Arabian food blogs; I am always searching for the next delicious dish, ingredient, spice or herbs. I find inspiration and I get an insight into a world I'm fascinated with.

The amazing thing about these smooth delicate chocolate bars is the flavour of halva that the tahini paste delicately imparts.

Chocolate Tahini Bars with Puffed Rice & Almonds

Type of cuisine: Middle Eastern/Fusion


Cooking time: 20 minutes/ 2 hours to set


Difficulty: very easy

 

I followed Joumana's recipe, with slight alterations, as you will notice. 

2 bars of good quality dark chocolate (preferably use dark, organic chocolate)

a handful of chopped almonds (soaked in water overnight)

40 grams of unsalted butter

2 tbs of tahini paste

4 tbs powder milk dissolved in hot milk

2 tbs Dutch dark cocoa powder

half a cup of puffed rice

sesame seeds for decoration

Method

Melt the chocolate bars, add the warm butter and blend so that the mixture becomes smooth. Add the tahini paste, the crushed almonds, and the puffed rice. Because the almonds and the puffed rice made the mixture a bit rigid, I kind of panicked, so I decided then and there to heat a little milk and dissolve powder milk and cocoa powder and add to my chocolate mix. My heart was racing, to be honest, but it all turned out fine.

I cut out a big square of wax paper onto which I spread the chocolate, using a flat knife to even out the surface. I folded the paper from the sides, down over the chocolate & I set it to cool and harden on the terrace. The weather was cold and wintry, and for the first time in many months I was glad it was so.

 :) It actually makes me smile to think about it, many years ago when I was seven or eight, my mother made ganache to decorate a cake and let it cool on a table in the garden. It was a cold October day and when she went out to get the ganache, it was all gone! The neighbour's dachshund was happily licking his muzzle after such a random and unexpected treat. My mother was furious (she doesn't take waste and damage in her stride). 

*detail* a beautiful mosaic 

dark chocolate, tahini, fresh mint & sesame

After a couple of hours I unwrapped the chocolate, cut it into chunky bars and I called Mike to come and take a first bite and it was 'wow...surreal'. Thank you, Joumana, this is the taste of ancient and today's beautiful Lebanon: smooth, velvety, rich, intense, yet delicate and sweet.

I have never been to Lebanon, but this beautiful and rich country has been etched in my heart for many years...forever. How could I ever forget this exquisite Song of Salmon from the Bible?

'You are altogether beautiful, O girl companion of mine, and there is no defect in you.


'With me from Leb′a‧non, O bride, with me from Leb′a‧non may you come. May you descend from the top of Anti-Leb′a‧non, from the top of Se′nir, even Her′mon, from the lairs of lions, from the mountains of leopards. 


'You have made my heart beat, O my sister, [my] bride, you have made my heart beat by one of your eyes, by one pendant of your necklace. 


'How beautiful your expressions of endearment are, O my sister, my bride! How much better your expressions of endearment are than wine and the fragrance of your oils than all sorts of perfume! 


'With comb honey your lips keep dripping, O [my] bride. Honey and milk are under your tongue, and the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Leb′a‧non. 


'A garden barred in is my sister, [my] bride, a garden barred in, a spring sealed up. 


'Your skin is a paradise of pomegranates, with the choicest fruits, henna plants along with spikenard plants;  spikenard and saffron, cane and cinnamon, along with all sorts of trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest perfumes; [and] a spring of gardens, a well of fresh water, and trickling streams from Leb′a‧non. 


'Awake, O north wind, and come in, O south wind. Breathe upon my garden. Let its perfumes trickle.

'Let my dear one come into his garden and eat its choicest fruits.'