Daring Cooks get stuffed with Dolmades

Our October 2010 hostess, Lori of Lori’s Lipsmacking Goodness challenged The Daring Cooks to stuff grape leaves. Lori chose a recipe from Aromas of Aleppo and a recipe from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food. Historical Note: Stuffed grape leaves are a part of many cultures including the Syrians, the Turks, the Greeks, the Lebanese, the Albanians, the Iranians, the Iraqis and the Armenians (just to name a few). Generally speaking the stuffed part could be in zucchinis/courgette, eggplant, tomato or peppers. Really it also extends to stuffing certain types of fish as well. It is suggested that the...

On being published: ‘Foodies of the World’

Thanks for your support and wonderful comments – at the moment, our internet access is scuppered/broken/not working plus I’m out of country from Wednesday – in Paris 🙂 till the weekend, sans husband and kids  attending a conference and looking for piment d’esplette! Thank you so, so, so much. Love,  Oz ——♥♥♥♥♥—– I’m not at all surprised that it was an Aussie publishing house that ‘launched’ my recipes into the world of print. Ladies and Gentlemen, as of the 1st of October, 2010 I am proud to say I’ve been published by The Slattery Media Group. A dream I skirted...

Three Chicken Wing recipes, for Football season and beyond

Apparently, its football season in the US of A. Well, in my home, football season never goes away for my husband. Whether accompanied my sticky, juicy wings or not. Thanks to food52, I’ve risen to the occasion to bond with my American friends and come up with a few recipes. It doesn’t matter that these recipes may never see the light of ‘winning’ day. What does count is the advancement of global flavours, from Japan to Thailand and the Middle East. But before I get to the heart of the matter, I need to laugh and vent a bit.

A Nectarine Tart & The Colour Red

Red. I love red. I wear red in winter, to outcry from my very western-world colleagues. But I offer no apologies. I like the passion, the romance and the strength of crimson and cerise hues. However, I wasn’t prepared for the sight that confronted me at a meeting last Thursday afternoon. This was an office gathering of leaders and future leadership, myself inclusive 🙂 (Ha!). I wore a red sweater to cover up my striped navy blue and white camisole, very nautical. I walked into the meeting room, one of the first to arrive. Shortly after a lady  walked up...

Daring Cooks Preserve: How to Make & Preserve Apple Pectin

When I hear the wind bellow and scream, And see yellow leaves scurry Ochre ones run And russets  scamper Into tree-line paths and winding driveways Gardens and front porches too When I feel the cold rain drops And watch them fall on the slant I know that Fall is come The season of apples and cake Cobblers, butter and fruit And sunshine in blue skies And rain. Lots of rain. I love Autumn.   —–♥♥♥♥♥—–

Heirloom Tomatoes Fattoush

Embrace the heart of the Levant with Fattoush, of the genus Fattat – a family of  stale bread salads with toasted or fried pieces of khubz ‘arabi ( pita bread) as the base, combined with seasonal vegetables. Like croutons, the crisp pita shards bring bready substance to the fragrant, herbed salad alongside heirloom tomatoes, cucumber and pungent onions, all laced with an edgy dressing of purple-red sumac, lemon juice and dried mint. If you’re thinking sour, sour, sour, relax…..all that zing zang of the citrus and sumac are tempered by sweet pomegranate molasses. I upped the amount of pom molasses…I’m...