Luqaimat

An Arabic sweet dish, crunchy on the outside, soft and airy in the middle, garnished with sesame seeds.

RECIPE (1 PORTION)

125 g All-purpose flour
2.5 g Dry yeast
6.25 g Sugar
1.25 g Salt
12.5 g Corn flour
1.25 g Cardamom powder
0.5 g Saffron
87.5 ml Warm water
12.5 g White sesame seeds
25 ml Date syrup (or honey)
250 ml Oil for deep frying

METHOD

Add saffron and cardamom to 100 ml of warm water. Set aside.

Sift flour with salt and set aside.

Add sugar and yeast to 180ml of warm water and set aside for 5 minutes.

Mix flour and corn flour, saffron and cardamom mixture and stir.

Gradually add the yeast mixture and keep on stirring, until the batter looks like cake batter.

Leave the batter to double in size, may take 30 to 40 minutes.

The batter now should have bubbles, and be somewhat bouncy.

Heat oil. Take around a teaspoon from the batter, and carefully drop it in the oil, if it floats quickly, the oil is too hot.

Scoop the batter with your fingers (take around 1/2 tablespoon from batter), use your thumb to push the batter off your fingers and in the oil, or take 1/2 tablespoon from batter using a spoon and push the batter off it using another spoon.

After 1 minute of frying, move the luqaimat around using a wooden spoon or spatula, this will make them cook evenly.

When the luqaimat are light brown, remove them from oil, and place them on kitchen paper.

Pour the date syrup and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Best Fudgy Cocoa Brownies

Super fudgy and at the same time crispy

Ingredients

10 tablespoons (145 grams) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (80 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process

1/4 rounded teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, cold

1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour

2/3 cup (75 grams) chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

 

DIRECTIONS

PREPARE BATTER

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 325 degrees F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. (This helps when removing the baked brownies from the pan, once cooled).

Add enough water to a medium saucepan so that it is 1 to 2 inches deep. Heat water until barely simmering. Combine butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and the salt in a medium heat-safe bowl. Rest the bowl over simmering water (if the bottom of the bowl touches the water, remove a little water).

Stir mixture occasionally until the butter has melted and mixture is quite warm. Don’t worry if it looks gritty, it will become smooth once you add the eggs and flour. Remove the bowl from heat and set aside for 3 to 5 minutes until it is only warm, not hot.

BAKE BROWNIES

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out almost clean (you want it to be a little moist with batter). Note: Some have found they need to bake an extra 10 minutes, so keep an eye on the doneness of the brownies and use the toothpick test as your guide.

Cool completely then remove from pan. For the cleanest lines when cutting, place into freezer for 20 to 30 minutes to firm up. Cut into squares.

Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

This dish is rich in taste and has depth of flavors.

 

Ingredients

500g stewing beef

100g pancetta cubes

4 carrots, diced (I use a lot as I love carrots)

6 shallots, quartered

250g chestnut mushrooms (use them whole)

2 tbsp tomato puree

600-700ml beef stock (I use stock cubes)

2-3 sprigs thyme, leaves removed from the stems

1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed from the stem

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

 

Method:

1. Heat 1tbsp of olive oil in a pan/pot over medium high heat, and brown the beef on each side (usually takes 3-5 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside.

2. In the same pan, cook the pancetta cubes until they start to release their oils. Add the quartered shallots, diced carrots, mushrooms and tomato puree to the pan, and cook for 5 minutes until everything is nicely browned.

3. Return the beef to the pan, and stir to combine.

4. Add the beef stock and herbs to the pan, and bring to the boil.

5. Turn down the heat, and simmer over medium heat for 2-3 hours. Alternatively, you can slow cook it in a 150°C oven.

6. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with your choice of polenta or mashed potatoes. Or maybe even some pasta!

For the polenta:

Use a 1 part polenta: 4 parts water* ratio. Put polenta into a pan (over medium high heat), add the water and bring to the boil, stirring constantly the whole time. Be forewarned that the polenta will bubble madly, which is why you need to stir it whilst it cooks. The consistency you are aiming for is that of mashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. I also season it with garlic olive oil to add some extra flavour.