Tuesday 25 September 2012
FoodyDubaiana: Making my first ravioli
FoodyDubaiana: Making my first ravioli: Pumpkin ravioli it is! Roasted pumpkin step I needed a greater challenge in the kitchen. I decided t...
Making my first ravioli
Pumpkin ravioli it is!
Roasted pumpkin step
I needed a greater challenge in the kitchen.
I decided to try something new - fresh pasta from scratch and using good & simple ingredients
I had no pasta maker.
My tools were: rolling pin and my hands.
I mixed:
semolina,
flour,
eggs,
salt,
water and
olive oil.
I decided on a simple filling: pumpkin and onions with garlic. I roasted my pumpkin first and fried the onion with garlic with a generous portion of butter.
It was not easy. I found working with semolina really hard. Ravioli looked lovely, so you can see for yourself. Perhaps, I made them a bit thick. The inside of my pasta was really yummy. The next batch will be made without semolina but with good quality flour instead.
I served it with a salad and sprinkled them with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Roasted pumpkin step
I decided to try something new - fresh pasta from scratch and using good & simple ingredients
I had no pasta maker.
My tools were: rolling pin and my hands.
I mixed:
semolina,
flour,
eggs,
salt,
water and
olive oil.
I decided on a simple filling: pumpkin and onions with garlic. I roasted my pumpkin first and fried the onion with garlic with a generous portion of butter.
It was not easy. I found working with semolina really hard. Ravioli looked lovely, so you can see for yourself. Perhaps, I made them a bit thick. The inside of my pasta was really yummy. The next batch will be made without semolina but with good quality flour instead.
I served it with a salad and sprinkled them with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
FoodyDubaiana: Today's visit to Balance Cafe in Oasis, Dubai.
FoodyDubaiana: Today's visit to Balance Cafe in Oasis, Dubai.: I was nicely surprised to find a place of this sort. A cafe with a philosophy - no I mean a real one rather than one that has been franchis...
FoodyDubaiana: Gardening and eating - re-learning how to eat
FoodyDubaiana: Gardening and eating - re-learning how to eat: I would like to share my dream of feeding my family from my home garden. I want to cook from my home-grown butternut squashes, potatoes, be...
Wednesday 12 September 2012
Lentil soup and pancakes
We were up this morning at 4am. Unhappy hour - too early for me, but a toddler is a toddler. At 9 am we started to shop in Carrefour, in Emirates Mall. Orla spilled my coffee from Costa and then screamed for the most of my trip to the supermarket. She asked for her raisins, milk, water, Elmo, Grover and for her croissant.
I managed to do well, despite my feeling of dizziness and exhaustion. I bought lovely & chip tomatoes for my soups, apples, tuna, lentils, green beans, parsley, Italian coffee and bra for my yoga. I failed to bring home onions and hoover bags :(
Recently, we turned vegetarian and we are happy with this regime so far.
Fish is the only thing i will not easily stop munching.
Afterwards, I created raspberry, apple, cheesy, raisin & milk based pancakes.
Gardening and eating - re-learning how to eat
I would like to share my dream of feeding my family from my home garden. I want to cook from my home-grown butternut squashes, potatoes, beans, berries, tomatoes, etc...
While being here, I miss my green garden back in suburban London. I miss my roses, thyme and lavender.
I love working in the garden, it is the best work-out and mind settling exercises which cure the "camel's hump".
Then I watch my garden grow and blossom and enjoy having family & friends around in the garden, who can appreciate the food I grow. I was lucky to come back to London to my delicious blueberries, which I served at my daughters 2nd birthday.
After eating plenty of sugar, cheap student food and being relatively ignorant about what I was choosing to eat, I have started to grow wiser.
I currently enjoy simple diet of fresh fruit (apples, peaches and berries), vegetables (greens and beans and butternut squashes), pasta and rice.
A recent favourite is pasta (tricolours) with roasted butternut squash, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper!
Nothing can beat freshly home-baked simple cookies made with honey and vanilla!
As a mum I love cooking with care and simplicity which any mother will understand.
I looked at my daughter at a recent play group session. I noticed that although she was surrounded by doughnuts, she chose pasta, salad and fruit that I had prepared in boxes for her. This made me feel that my efforts were worthwhile.
While being here, I miss my green garden back in suburban London. I miss my roses, thyme and lavender.
Then I watch my garden grow and blossom and enjoy having family & friends around in the garden, who can appreciate the food I grow. I was lucky to come back to London to my delicious blueberries, which I served at my daughters 2nd birthday.
After eating plenty of sugar, cheap student food and being relatively ignorant about what I was choosing to eat, I have started to grow wiser.
I currently enjoy simple diet of fresh fruit (apples, peaches and berries), vegetables (greens and beans and butternut squashes), pasta and rice.
A recent favourite is pasta (tricolours) with roasted butternut squash, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper!
Nothing can beat freshly home-baked simple cookies made with honey and vanilla!
As a mum I love cooking with care and simplicity which any mother will understand.
I looked at my daughter at a recent play group session. I noticed that although she was surrounded by doughnuts, she chose pasta, salad and fruit that I had prepared in boxes for her. This made me feel that my efforts were worthwhile.
Today's visit to Balance Cafe in Oasis, Dubai.
I was nicely surprised to find a place of this sort. A cafe with a philosophy - no I mean a real one rather than one that has been franchised out of the Starbucks/Costa galactic empire.
It is a cookery school, restaurant and a cafe with pleasant ambiance. It has a welcoming menu on offer. The menu is inspired by Ayurveda. It promises good mental and physical health.
At first, I was delighted and excited. I wanted to try all their sweet, sour, pungent and astringent foods.
The kids menu is just what I would cook for my daughter myself. It was so refreshing not to see there on their menu, what is usually in other chicken nuggets and fries or hot dogs. I was in foodie heaven.
The menu includes:
steamed fish and boiled vegetables;
spaghetti with tomato and basil;
penne with cheesy sauce;
rice and lentils.
For breakfast children can eat eggs or porridge.
We came there before 9 am and after our first morning breakfast (we are up at 6 most mornings), so I ordered coffee for me and milk for Orla. We shared a multicereal croissant, a sugar free muffin and a black-millet flour danish. I did not like my coffee (I had orderd an Americano coffee).
The story of "Americano"s as told to me is as follows:
When the Americans came during World War II to Italy, they found the Italian espresso too strong for their taste. So they asked that their hosts dilute with hot water.
This was not a diluted espresso - it was more like a filter coffee watered down. I explained this and asked her to remake. I have become more assertive while here in Dubai.
I added sugar and drank it. The coffee-making aside - the impression that stayed with me was that this place had potential. The staff lack the friendliness you would expect for the place with such an unusual philosophy. The waitress appeared to be hassled and hurried even though we were the only customers there. I tried to have a conversation and I asked few questions but I felt I was interrupting.
Anyway, I shall give them another chance and come back there after my holidays in the UK. I would love to try the basil ice-cream which comes with poached strawberry in balsamic syrup and I would also like to try the red lentil burger.
It is a cookery school, restaurant and a cafe with pleasant ambiance. It has a welcoming menu on offer. The menu is inspired by Ayurveda. It promises good mental and physical health.
At first, I was delighted and excited. I wanted to try all their sweet, sour, pungent and astringent foods.
The kids menu is just what I would cook for my daughter myself. It was so refreshing not to see there on their menu, what is usually in other chicken nuggets and fries or hot dogs. I was in foodie heaven.
The menu includes:
steamed fish and boiled vegetables;
spaghetti with tomato and basil;
penne with cheesy sauce;
rice and lentils.
For breakfast children can eat eggs or porridge.
We came there before 9 am and after our first morning breakfast (we are up at 6 most mornings), so I ordered coffee for me and milk for Orla. We shared a multicereal croissant, a sugar free muffin and a black-millet flour danish. I did not like my coffee (I had orderd an Americano coffee).
The story of "Americano"s as told to me is as follows:
When the Americans came during World War II to Italy, they found the Italian espresso too strong for their taste. So they asked that their hosts dilute with hot water.
This was not a diluted espresso - it was more like a filter coffee watered down. I explained this and asked her to remake. I have become more assertive while here in Dubai.
I added sugar and drank it. The coffee-making aside - the impression that stayed with me was that this place had potential. The staff lack the friendliness you would expect for the place with such an unusual philosophy. The waitress appeared to be hassled and hurried even though we were the only customers there. I tried to have a conversation and I asked few questions but I felt I was interrupting.
Anyway, I shall give them another chance and come back there after my holidays in the UK. I would love to try the basil ice-cream which comes with poached strawberry in balsamic syrup and I would also like to try the red lentil burger.
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