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Saffron and Honey Challah with Sesame Seeds

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

The dough is enriched with eggs and oil, while a little honey add a unique sweetness to this traditional Jewish Sabbath bread. A little saffron goes a long way to give this challah bread a yellow hue. Don’t have saffron? You can still make this recipe! Simply leave the saffron out or try adding whatever spices or seasoning you have on hand.

240 ml Lukewarm water
2 tsp Active dry yeast
470 g All-purpose flour
30 g Sesame seeds, lightly toasted
50 g Honey
1 tsp Sea salt
0.1 g Saffron powder
3 Large eggs
60 ml Sunflower seed oil (or melted butter)
2 tbsp Sesame seeds, for topping
1 tbsp Vanilla sugar, for topping

Dissolve the yeast in half of the water. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until frothy. In a small bowl, mix the saffron with the remaining warm water.
Place the flour, sesame seeds, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine.
Make a well in the center of the flour and add 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk, oil, saffron water and yeast mixture. Mix on low speed for 5 minutes until a dough forms. Increase the speed and knead until the dough is soft and smooth.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place. Let the dough rise until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and roll each piece of dough into a long rope about 22 inches in length.
Braid the ropes together like braiding hair, squeeze the ends of the ropes together and tuck them under the loaf. Coil the dough into a round and tuck the end under the round. You can also pull the ends toward each other to create a circle.
Place the challah on a baking try lined with parchment paper. Cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place until puffed, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Whisk the reserved egg white and brush it all over the challah. Sprinkle sesame seeds over and top with vanilla sugar.
Bake the challah 30 to 35 minutes until nicely golden. Cool the challah on a cooling rack until just barely warm. Slice and enjoy.

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Couscous with Lamb, Dates and Roasted Pumpkin

Sunday, October 24, 2021

This is an easy, nutrient-dense and delicious salad that's satisfying enough to have as a complete meal with protein, carbohydrate, fiber, and healthy fat and will fuel you for whatever comes your way. If you want to make this vegetarian, but still want to have some protein, swap chickpeas for ground lamb. This salad also combines, roasted pumpin, fresh herbs, dates, pomegranate to really elevate the flavour and texture.


600-800 g Organic Hokkaido pumpkin, cubed 3 tbsp Olive oil 1 tbsp Dijon whole grain mustard 2 Garlic cloves, chopped 1 tsp Sea salt 300 g Ground lamb 1 tbsp Moroccan spice blend Salt and black pepper to taste	150 g Couscous 350 ml Boiling water 30 g Flat parsley, chopped 10 g Coriander, chopped 100 g Dates, diced (or dried apricot) Pomegranate seeds Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Place cubed pumpkin in a baking tray. Add in olive oil, wholegrain mustard, salt and garlic. Toss everything together. Bake in the upper rack of hot oven for 40 minutes until tender and golden brown.
Dry the raw ground lamb on paper towels and let it come up to room temperature. Add the meat to a hot, lightly oiled cast-iron pan and spread it into an even layer. Once you see crisp edges, use a spatula to divide the patty and flip it in pieces. Brown the other side, then break into bits. Add Moroccan spice blend, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Meanwhile, add boiling water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the couscous in a medium saucepan. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.
Fluff the couscous with a fork. Add in browned ground lamb, chopped herbs, diced dates, pomegrante seeds and lemon juice. Toss everything together. Serve with roasted pumpkin.

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Harissa Chicken Drumsticks

Friday, October 22, 2021

Deliciously smoky, spicy and flavourful, the harissa chicken goes really well with couscous, rice or roasted sweet potatoes, even a simple side salad is terrific. I have used chicken drumsticks, you can use wings or even a whole bird, but adjust the cooking time accordingly. Harissa could be swapped out for sambal oelek. Sriracha is another great substitute, though the consistency is different.
Originally from Tunisia, harissa is a condiment basically made with lots of dry red chilli peppers, garlic, salt, extra virgin olive oil and various spices. It is widely used in North African and Middle Eastern cooking. The ingredients for harissa paste vary from household to household and region to region – some include cumin, caraway, others tomatoes, and even rose petals. Original recipe from Bon Appetit calls for 3 different kinds of chillies. I had to tweak the recipe a little bit since I just have chillies de árbol and guajillo. You can use fresh or pickled chillies if you want to, but I find the dried ones have more complex flavours.

Homemade Harissa
15 Dried chillies de árbol, stemmed and seeded 5 Dried guajillo chillies, stemmed and seeded 1 tbsp Cumin seeds 2 tsp Coriander seeds 5 Garlic cloves, smashed 3 tbsp Fresh lemon juice 1 tbsp Tomato paste 1 tsp Smoked paprika 1 tsp Sea salt 180 ml Oive oil	6-8 Chicken drumsticks Sea salt and black pepper, to taste 4 tbsp Ghee or olive oil 2 tbsp Homemade harissa 1 tsp Lemon juice 2 Garlic cloves, minced 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper powder 1/2 tsp Spicy paprika 1/2 tsp Sweet paprika 1 tsp Maggi seasoning (or soya sauce) Thyme leaves, chopped

Place chillies in a glass or bowl. Pour boiling water over to submerge, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit until chillies are very pliable and cool enough to handle, 15–20 minutes. Drain.
Toast cumin and coriander in a dry small skillet over medium-low heat, tossing constantly, until very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a food processor, add garlic, and pulse until spices are broken up and garlic forms a paste. Add chillies and pulse until it forms a coarse paste. Add lemon juice, tomato paste, paprika, and salt and process until mostly smooth but mixture still has a little texture. With the motor running, stream in 120ml oil. Process until oil is incorporated.
Transfer harissa to a jar. Pour remaining olive oil over top. If possible, leave to stand for around 12 hours before using, to allow the flavours to develop. Refrigerate, topping off with more oil after each use. The harissa will keep up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 230C/450. Pat dry chicken thighs. Season them all over generously with sea salt and black pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in an oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add chicken and cook, turning, for 5 minutes or until browned.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for 15 minutes until the skin is crips and meat cooked through. Meanwhile, place the remaining ghee, lemon juice, minced garlic, cayenne, paprika and Maggi seasoning in a small pan over medium heat. Bring it to a boil and allow it to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a large bowl. Add in sauce and toss until they are thoroughly mixed. Arrange chicken on a serving platter. Sprinkle some chopped thyme over. Serve immediately.

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Pasta with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

This easy, creamy pumpkin sauce tossed with your favorite pasta for a quick, warm, and comforting weeknight dinner. It's utterly delicious and perfect for Fall. I use Hokkaido pumpkin, but kabocha or butternut squash would do just great. Top with some bacon or walnuts if you like.

1 Small Hokkaido pumpkin, cubed (650g)
2 Garlic cloves
2-3 Thyme sprigs
2 tbsp Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
200 Pasta of your choice
240 ml Homemade broth
100 ml Cream / milk
1 tbsp White balsamic
1/2 tsp Cayenne
Large pinch of nutmeg
Large pinch of chilli flakes
1-2 tbsp Flat parsley, chopped
Parmigiano-Reggiano, to serve

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Combine cubed pumpkin, garlic cloves and thyme sprigs with olive oil in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Spread out on a baking sheet. Bake until pumpkin is very soft and has browned slightly, about 25 minutes.
Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, following packet directions, until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain in a colander.
Reserve about 1/3 of cubed pumpkin. Place the remaining roasted pumpkin and garlic cloves in a saucepan together with homemade broth, cream, white balsamic and spices. Use an immersion blender process until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add more broth or noodle water if mixture is too thick.
Stir the drained pasta and chopped parsley into the sauce. Divide the pasta in two plates. Shave some Parmesan over. Enjoy!

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Sweet and Salty Browned Butter Pecan Cookies

Monday, October 18, 2021

These insanely delicious browned butter cookies are heavily loaded with buttered pecans and have a rich flavour and chewy texture. Love the combo of salty and sweet? They're rolled in a mixture of sugar and salt before baking, which gives them over-the-top flavour. If you don't have pecans you can substitute equal amounts of walnuts or hazelnuts or even pistachios. You can also add a mix of butterscotch and chocolate chips for an even more indulgent treat.

Cookie	Coating
180 g Pecan, roughly chopped 250 g Kerrygold butter 300 g Plain flour 1 tsp Baking soda 1/2 tsp Sea salt 100 g Coconut sugar (or regular brown sugar) 100 g Homemade vanilla sugar (or white granulated sugar) 2 Medium eggs, room temperature 2 tsp Vanilla paste (I use Dr. Oetker) 1 tsp Apple cider vinegar	70 g White granulated sugar 1 tsp Fine sea salt

Toast the chopped pecans and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant and browned, about 5 minutes.
Cook the remaining butter in a light-coloured pan over medium-high heat. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam and sizzle around the edges. Keep stirring. In about 6-8 minutes, the butter will turn toasty brown and smell nutty and buttery. Pour into a bowl or pan to stop the butter from cooking further. Set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
Add coconut sugar and vanilla sugar to the cooled browned butter. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar, increase mixer speed to medium-high, and beat until mixture lightens and begins to thicken, about 2 minutes.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add flour mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in buttered pecans with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Cover the bowl, and chill for about 4 hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
Mix 70 grams sugar and 1 teaspoon sea salt in a bowl. Use a spoon to scoop 2" balls (about 55 g each) of dough into the sugar/salt mixture, rolling to coat. Place them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2" between them on all sides.
Bake the cookies in the middle of the hot oven for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden brown and firm but centers are still soft. Let cool on baking sheets 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store cookies, well wrapped in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to a week.

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Pumpkin and Fried Onion Scones

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Made with plain wheat flour, fresh homeamde butternut squash puree, and crisp fried onion, these simple tasty pumpkin scones are best served with butter, sour cream or chutney over a pot of tea. They are the perfect addition to every fall and holiday table and might be the best way to celebrate pumpkin season.

400 g Plain flour, sifted
15 g Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Sea salt
125 g Butter, chopped, at room temperature
220 g Pumpkin puree, cooled
80 ml Buttermilk, plus extra to glaze
2 tbsp Maple syrup
1 Small egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp Dried thyme
100 g Crisp fried onions
Herb sour cream to serve

Preheat oven to 220C/430F. Line two oven trays with parchment paper. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Rub in butter lightly using fingertips, until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Make a well in centre. Add pumpkin puree, buttermilk, maple syrup, egg, dried thyme and fried onions.
Using a bread and butter knife, mix quickly to a soft, sticky dough. Do not over-mix. Turn onto a floured surface. Knead lightly. Press out to form a round about 2cm thick and cut into 10-12 rounds or your desired size and shape.
Place them on the prepared trays. Brush with extra buttermilk. Bake 20-22 minutes or until scones sound hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with herb sour cream or your favourite chutney.