Perfect Sunday Roast: Stuffed Citrus Chicken with Rosemary & Sumac

I love Sunday afternoons because my father comes for lunch or linner :) (late lunch, early dinner) and Mike and I cook a full meal: starter, main course, and dessert.

Today I decided to try my luck with a fresh spinach & beet salad, roast free-range chicken stuffed with some goodies that I will write about in a nick (be patient!), accompanied by roast carrots with thyme, roast potatoes with ramson & mint raita, and a scrumptious lemon sponge with rosemary. Mike did the extra stuffing for the chicken, which consists of bread crumbs, wheat grain, garlic, onion, chopped almonds, sage, and thyme. In Romania we rarely eat bread stuffing with chicken, and I was a bit apprehensive at first, but I must say, it's a delicious combination and it enhances the taste of the chicken.

Stuffed Citrus Chicken with Rosemary & Sumac

Yesterday evening I bought a free-range chicken from Carrefour and the moment I saw it, I knew I had to roast it. My father loves roast-anything, so roast chicken is a fixture. :)

I roasted it gently for the best part of two hours at 200 degrees Celsius, giving it time to 'golden' and ripen. 

Have I ever told you how much I love lemons? Hence, the name of my blog: Lemon Love Notes, though I have never attempted to make Lemon Love Notes...which is kind of weird. I have used lemon to its fullest today, though making sure things wouldn't get sour. Lemon imbues food with a fresh scent to which I'm addicted. 

For this recipe it is preferable that you buy a free-range, organic chicken. You'll recognize them because of their skin - it is golden in colour, and goose-bumpy - thanks to actual feathers, which have been plucked. It is unfortunately more expensive, but it is worth it because roast chicken should taste like roast chicken, and free-range chicken does! 

You will need the following herbs, fruits and spices

the fresh orange rind from 1 orange

Camargue salt or any fleur de sel

the skin of a thick slice of lemon (supper finely diced)

3 cloves of garlic

a handful of coriander seeds (half of them crushed)

half a stick of cinnamon- crushed

fresh rosemary

a shake of sumac to sprinkle over the chicken

extra virgin olive oil with which to brush the chicken

To stuff the chicken, use

3 extra cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

20-ish pumpkin seeds

a small branch of rosemary

the remainder of the peeled slice of lemon

the remainder of the orange rind

4 or 5 ramson leaves, finely chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 200c while you are dealing with the bird. 

Trim the chicken, rinse it with cold water, and tap it with a kitchen towel to dry it up.

Brush the chicken with olive oil, fleur de sel, and orange rind. Use a very sharp knife to pierce through the skin and the meat in order to insert the rosemary, garlic, cinnamon, and lemon skin cubes. 

Sprinkle the sumac and the coriander seeds over. My advice is that you do not squeeze any lemon juice over the uncooked chicken. Do it just before you serve it hot. The sumac is lemony enough. 

Wrap the chicken in aluminium foil and roast it for 2 full hours. Ten minutes before taking it out of the oven, unwrap the chicken and switch the oven to the fan setting to accelerate the roasting process and make the skin super crunchy. 

This chicken is super-easy to make; basically, all you need to do is to have the herbs and spices at hand and then you let the oven do the rest. 

Chilli con Carne (y con mucho, mucho amor)

I haven't posted anything this week. If it looked like laziness on my part, I want to assure you it was not. I've been very busy and we all know, time flies. I was looking at the stats and I noticed that you've been checking me out even though the blog was frozen still. I really appreciate your reading the outpourings of my heart. This week I have cooked some delicious bites for Mike and me, for my father and for guests, and on Wednesday we ate out in a Japanese restaurant. 

A couple of days ago I made Chilli con Carne, and I should add ... con mucho, mucho amor. Making Chilli con Carne must be a deliberate act of love. Love for this amazing combination of herbs and spices, meat and fresh veggies, and passion for a country whose language, history, people, and music I love. In a nutshell,  Mexico Lindo Y Querido. 

This amazing and ridiculously easy dish won't take you longer than 20-25 minutes, if you have everything cleaned, washed, pealed, cut, chopped, diced and you are ready to rock :)

Chilly con Carne 

Type of cuisine: Mexican/Low-Fat

Difficulty: easy

Time: preparation time- 15 minutes, cooking time- 25 minutes max

chilly con carne with guacamole, salad and tortilla chips

You will need

half a kilo of minced lean beef

half a can of diced tomatoes or 4 tomatoes

a 450g can of kidney beans

spring onions

1 red onion

1 red pepper

1 tsp paprika

 a tiny pinch of cinnamon

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

a pinch of sugar (to sprinkle over the tomatoes)

a pinch of hot chilli (or more, if you can handle it) :)

4 cloves of garlic (crushed)


a pinch of salt

Method

In a wok fry the red onion in a spoonful of olive oil. Add the crushed garlic and the minced meat and let them brown. Work in the spices (cinnamon, cumin, paprika). Open a can of diced tomatoes and add half a can with a tablespoon of brown sugar. Sprinkle some oregano. 

Cut the red pepper finely (I hate large chunks of vegetables when I cook Mexican) and add it to the meat.

Season with salt.  Add chilli powder to taste.

5 minutes before the meat is cooked, open the can of kidney beans, drain the water and mix with the beef.

Chop the spring onion and incorporate gradually. 

There are many reasons why I love this dish. Here are just a few.

• I am all for any low-fat meal. I cook Chilli con Carne  mainly in the evening, so I feel guilt-free having a second helping (if I wish to do so)

• I am not always in the mood for slow-cooking. This dish is done in the blink of an eye. 

• It gives me another reason to make guacamole! 

• Because I love mariachi, traditional Mexican music and Alejandro Fernandez, and I hum along the songs (but only when I'm certain nobody can hear me) *embarrassed*

the heart of an avocado

Philoxenia: Spiced Lebanese Chai with Milk & Roasted Almond Flakes

A quick search on the internet will explain the meaning of the Greek word philoxenia as the equivalent of hospitality or lover of strangers.  

Nowhere like in the Middle East can you experience a deeper sense of hospitality and generosity. In a land where even time stands still, melted under the intensity of the desert sun, people have a passive awareness of the passage of time: Salaam, and a stranger is greeted, with a warm, yet firm shake of hand, a broad smile and the gesture to come in. No matter where you go - a modest bedouin tent, a luxurious weekend 5-star tent, a simple rented city apartment or the villa of a wealthy family, a stranger will be invited into the front room: a large saloon decorated with big Persian rugs in bold colours, cushions, small coffee tables and sofas placed along the walls. Along with the small talk comes the tea accompanied by a tray of sweets: basbossa (semolina cake soaked with rich sugary syrup), baklawa, or gatayef (small pancakes stuffed with nuts).

Tea is strong and served in small cups, then sugar is added and maybe a leaf of mint will be immersed to add some flavour to the black essence. 

*a photo of a photo* Tea in the Desert,  at an art exhibition at DAU, Riyadh

small coffee cup, art exhibition at DAU, Riyadh, May 2010

Time will go in circles in this cool, dark room which has now become a shelter for the thirsty traveller. Time refuses to obey the laws of physics in the Middle East. It expands and contracts, as if it were under a magician's wand. A problem is treated philosophically, yet with a sense of urgency that we cannot penetrate: mafi mushkila (no problem, in Arabic). 

The host and the stranger will easily find mutual interests and topics of conversation, in spite of what could drift them apart.  They mention the family, the weather, the guest's purpose to such a distant and heat-ridden country, the holidays, the job and the working conditions, the host's travels to the West, current affairs, and the world in general. 

Having in mind the stories of old, I will tell you about a wonderful spiced Lebanese tea that I discovered not so long ago. 

Spiced Lebanese Chai with Milk and Roasted Almond Flakes

The Spices

coriander seeds

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

2 cloves

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cardamom pod

The Tea

black loose tea/2 bags of jasmine tea/green loose tea (your choice)

Milk

Honey or Sugar

Almond flakes

Method

Crush the spices (star anise, cardamom, coriander, cloves, cinnamon) in the mortar and pestle.  

Boil the water. Add the loose tea and the crushed spices, the ground ginger, the sugar/the honey. Let it simmer.

Finally, pour the milk and stir.

In a non-stick pan toast the almonds - make sure you won't overdo them. They blacken in no time (learned that by trial and error!)

Serve the tea hot, topped with almonds.

a full cup of the Middle East

Once they fill with water, the almond flakes will sink to the bottom of the mug. They will hold a soft crunchiness that you will spoon when the tea is gone. The honey makes the tea light and imparts a mild sweetness which is sure to make this amazing chai a treat for you and your guests. 

"Do not forget hospitality, for through it some, unknown to themselves, entertained angels" (from the Bible) Hebrews 13/2

"Tell me, Baba", said Joha's son to his father, why do you speak so little and listen so much?"

"Because I have two ears and only one mouth"  (from Tahir Shah's In Arabian Nights)

A Labour of Love: Beef Sharhat & 1001 Nights

Behind each dish there is a story. Either they are fascinating, mundane, personal, old, new, vintage, made-up or based on true facts, stories must live on and be told for the enjoyment of others or for reflective purposes as though stories we learn. 

I had Beef Sharhat some years ago in a beautiful restaurant here in Bucharest, El Bacha. It is there I discovered and fell in love with Middle Eastern food. Little did I know at the time about the variety of Middle Eastern cuisine, but in time, reading about it and living for two years in Saudi Arabia, I have perfected my skills and now I make lots of Lebanese dishes in a short time. I remember the first time I cooked Middle Eastern it took me six hours! Yes, practice makes perfect, so if you want to start cooking Middle Eastern, take things step by step, start with some dips (labneh, moutabal, hummus), then take your time in marinating the meat, and learn about herbs and spices. 

You will be amazed to see how easy (and healthy) it is to sample Middle Eastern dishes and how many people you can make happy :) Cooking is a labour of love: preparing the dishes with passion, sharing them with the people you love, sitting around the table and telling stories. 

Type of cuisine: Middle Eastern/Lebanese


Cooking time: 30 minutes, but 3-6 hours for the marinade. 


Availability of ingredients: it would be nice if you could find fresh mint, if not, use dry leaves.

Preparation 

(the dish is for 2 people)

To make this dish you need a fillet of beef (the meat must be tender).

Cut the meat into thin slices & marinade it in crushed garlic, (fresh or dry) mint, cinnamon, sweet paprika, coriander seeds, cumin. The meat should marinate for at least three hours in the fridge to let all the spices blend and come together. 

Method

Fry the meat in olive oil until it browns.  

In a separate bowl dissolve a cube of beef stock and add 4-5 diced tomatoes. If it's summer, use fresh ripe tomatoes; if it's winter, use tomatoes from a can (I used half a can). 

Pour the beef and tomato mix over the meat and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Add some more spices, to taste: extra mint, extra coriander seeds, more cinnamon.  The water will reduce, making the sauce a bit thicker.

I am sure you will just love it :) Looking at the photograph above makes me want to do it again, but I don't fancy eating beef today...

This recipe is my own. I have reconstructed it out of my recollections of the dish I almost always have in El Bacha. 

As a side dish, I have mujardarra - lentil and rice with red onion marmalade, or Lebanese potato salad - boiled potatoes with spices, and labneh - rich yoghurt with mint, garlic and lemon juice.

About all this, I'll blog some other time. I hope you enjoy both cooking and eating this dish. If you do, drop me a line and tell me all about it.

Traditionals shop in Granada Mall, Riyadh

Lassi on the Rocks

Between me and lassi there is a love story! 


The first time I had lassi was in the Indian restaurant in Ramada Continental Hotel in Jeddah. 
The restaurant is open-space, the food and the service are both excellent, and the Indian staff is friendly and attentive.
One evening, the waiter offered me a drink on the house. It was a glass of lassi with honey and almonds. 
So, I fell in love with it and when I came back home, I decided to make lassi as well. The wonderful thing about lassi is that it is so versatile and you can play with a variety of fruit, vegetables and spices. 


According to Wikipedia, "lassi (Punjabi: ਲੱਸੀ, Hindi: लस्सी, Urdu: لسی,) is a popular and traditional Punjabi yogurt-based drink of India and Pakistan. It is made by blending yogurt with water or milk and Indian spices.Traditional lassi is a savory drink sometimes flavored with ground roasted cumin while sweet lassi on the other hand is blended with sugar or fruits instead of spices. [...] With a little turmeric powder mixed in, it is also used as a folk remedy for gastroenteritis". 

Savoury lassi is the actually the first entry to this blog. 

http://lemonlovenotes.blogspot.com/2010/11/quick-snack-irish-style-tamis-with.html

Yoghurt with cumin seeds, mint, salt and lime juice. 
It goes so well with freshly baked bread: French baguette, pita, tamis, or naan bread.

Summery "Fru Fru" Lassi

Yoghurt with honey and blackberries.


I made this lassi in July when I went to the farmers' market and bought fresh blackberries. 
Since now it's cold and winter and fresh forest fruit are not readily available, you could give it a shot and try buying them frozen from the supermarket. 

"I don't give a fig" Lassi

Actually, how nonsensical this saying is! It doesn't do justice to figs. I love figs. These wonderful delicate fruit, slightly sweet and full of calcium and vitamin K, remind me of the Bible.


"Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come, be queen over us.’ But the fig tree said to them, ‘Must I give up my sweetness and my good produce, and must I go to wave over the other trees?" Judges 9/10, 11.

Yoghurt with figs, banana, cinnamon, orange blossom water.


"Honey, I'm home" Lassi is another favourite of mine. 

Yoghurt with honey, banana, cinnamon, nutmeg. I usually have it early in the morning with a handful of cereals or oatmeal to replace a big breakfast.


There are so many ways of making lassi. One could use walnuts, pistachios, almonds, mango, peaches, mint, papaya, strawberries, raspberries, cardamom, saffron, cucumber, chives, avocado, crushed ice, you name it. Be creative. Try out your own version. However, as I learned from trial and error, lassi doesn't blend well with citrus fruit, kiwi or pomegranate. 


Lassi is very easy to make and, basically,  all you need is a vertical blender and the ingredients of your choice.