Esqueixada, also known as Esqueixada de bacalla, is a typical salad of Catalan cuisine that consists of desalted and torn dried and salted cod mixed with vegetables, such as tomatoes, onions, and sometimes pepper. The tomatoes may be chopped finely or grated. It is dressed with olive oil. Olives are usually added, as well as (occasionally) other ingredients, such as hard-boiled eggs. 

On the 25th of March, Greeks have a double celebration. We celebrate the Greek Independence and The Annunciation (Evangelismos) of Virgin Mary.
The traditional dish of this day is Bakaliaros skordalia.
This year I’ve decided to try this Catalan recipe  instead.

I found this recipe in Guardian newspaper’s weekend magazine. It belongs to the master of baking Dan Lepard.

They were extremely easy to make and the house smells amazing!

You can find the recipe here.

 

 

Ingredients

• 3 free-range eggs
• 300ml vegetable oil
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds only
• 1 total 2% Greek yoghurt
• 450g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 tsp green tea powder (I’ve used  sencha)
• 175gr caster sugar 

Tender rib-eye rubbed with Szechuan pepper and chinese five spice with noodles and greens in black bean sauce.

Simply delicious dinner in your plate in less than 30 min!
 
For the recipe here.

 

This recipe is so easy to make and so Mediterranean!

The combination of sardines, harissa, olives and feta cheese is amazing, and it takes less than 20 min to make!

Bonus: I’ve got my sardines this morning from Fin and Flounder super fresh and boned.

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe and can be found here.

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Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 kilogram of mussels
• 200 g feta cheese, cubed
• 1 fresh red pepper, sliced into strips
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 100 ml olive oil
• 12 threads saffron, dissolved in three tablespoons of hot water
• 1 cup white wine

 
How to:
Wash and clean the mussels thoroughly. In a pan add the olive oil and saute the red pepper strips for a couple of minutes.Add the mussels and pour in the wine. Mix through, turn up the heat and put the lid on. Cook, shaking the pan every now and again until all the mussels have opened and are cooked. Add the saffron and the cubed feta cheese and stir well.
Spoon into serving bowls with the juices, sprinkle with parsley and serve with rustic bread.

* This is a Lefteris Lazarou recipe from the Greek masterchef.

An extremely easy recipe to make these middle eastern delicious yoghurt cheese balls called Labneh.
Julie Millar from traffic partners very kindly send me a batch of Total Greek Yoghurt.

 

For this recipe I’ve used Total 2%
 
Ingredients
1 kg Total 2% Greek yoghurt
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs lemon thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
2 cups (500ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt

How to:
Place the yoghurt in a bowl with the teaspoon of sea salt and stir to combine. Lay a muslin cloth on a workbench, place yogurt in center, then gather up muslin sides and tie with string. Leave to drain in the fridge for 48hours. Discard the whey that has drained out, remove yogurt to a bowl and discard muslin.
Roll yogurt into golf-sized balls and place them in a sterilised preserving jar with the herbs, cover with oil and seal. Leave to marinate for 24 hours. Keep for up to 1 month.

Maftoul is a delicious large grain cous cous traditionally made in Palestine for special occasions. It is being hand-rolled and sun dried.
 
Ingredients (serves 2)
For the kefta

• 250gr minced beef
• 2 shallots, very finely chopped
• 1 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 25gr bread crumbs
• small handful coriander leaves, finely chopped
• small handful flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 free-range egg yolk (to bind)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

I’ve just received a copy of Janet Ching’s book aka Gourmet Traveller 88, and I’m so excited!

This little treasure is a good road trip book. It contains 31 amazing recipes, for all occasions, from China, India, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and the Western countries.
 

It is wonderfully layout with the story of the recipe and beautiful food photography to cover every detail, and every step in clear language.

It is a must have book, to inspire confidence and great praise for the cook at the end of the meal.

Janet thank you! and as you say
Happy CEO: “Cooking and Eating Out”!!

For inspirational recipes check Janet’s blog: wwwgourmettraveller88.com and subscribe to the facebook group