Borscht

Borscht is a Ukrainian stew made of beets and other vegetables. It is enjoyed all over eastern Europe. This stew is very hearty, healthy and the perfect choice for those who are looking to warm up with a hot delicious meal.

If you're getting tired of the same old chicken noodle or cream of broccoli, give this delicious recipe a try instead.

Ingredients

3 large beets
2 large potatoes
1 large carrot
1 large onion
1/2 head of green cabbage
4 L water
3 cups cubed veal
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
2 tbsp minced fresh dill
2 bay leaves
3 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
Sour cream optional

Method

Wash veal or beef and place in 4L salted water. Bring to boil, then lower heat and sift out the yucky beefy foam the floats to the top. Since the water needs time to boil, shred or dice your beets, potatoes, carrot, cabbage and onion.

In a pan, sautee the beets, tomato paste, sugar, evoo and vinegar on medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove and place briefly in another dish.

Using the same pan, sautee the onions, carrots and evoo for 10 minutes. This part may seem odd to divide the ingredients into different sautees, but the traditional Ukrainian recipe claims by doing this, the vitamins in the vegetables don't get lost within the stew.

Add all the sautéed vegetables to the beef broth and then add the raw potato, cabbage and remaining spices. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes. When serving, garnish with fresh dill and a large spoonful or two of sour cream.

Enjoy!

Tabouleh

So today, we're going to learn how to make a delicious parsley salad called Tabouleh. I've decided to share my recipe because it's so tasty, very healthy and I think people could benefit from eating it more often. I grew up eating this on a regular basis since it was a family favourite. Originating from Syria, Tabouleh became very popular in Lebanon and other Levintine countries and is now the most popular salad in all the Arab world.

When making Tabouleh, remember, patience is a virtue. I recommend making a lot at once because it's a bit time consuming. You're not just tearing up some iceberg lettuce and throwing cherry tomatoes on top, but.. it's worth the effort because it's really delicious and you'll eat it quick enough that you'll want more (at least if you're like me anyway!)

Ingredients

2 bunches curly parsley
1 bunch green onions
2 large tomatoes
1 small cucumber (optional)
3/4 cup burgul (fine)
Juice of 2 lemons
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tsp salt


Directions

Wash the parsley and vegetables very well. Start picking apart the parsley leaves from the stems. Discard all stems and try not to have them in the salad. Dice the tomatoes, green onions and cucumber and set aside. In a separate bowl, add boiling bater to the burgul and let stand for 10 minutes. You will notice the burgul will expand to twice the amount because of water absorption. Drain very well. Nothing is worse than a soggy Tabouleh.

Take a large handful of parsley at a time to a chopping board, and chop the heck out of it until it's very fine. Add all diced vegetables and burgul in a large bowl and then add the juice of the lemons, the olive oil and the remaining herbs and spices.

Mix very well to get everything incorporated. I like to refrigerate the salad for a bit before I dive in because I like to eat it cold and crisp.
Enjoy!

Musakhan

Today, I will be sharing the traditional recipe for a favourite dish of mine, called Musakhan. It's a Palestinian dish with chicken, but what I truly love about it, is that it highlights a spice which I find is very underused these days - sumac.

This dish is meant to be enjoyed with your bare hands. Part of the fun in this meal is that you grab off pieces of the warm pita, and use it to scoop up other parts of the dish.

If you're looking to try something new, and not be disappointed, I highly suggest that you try making this for dinner. It is a high calorie, high fat meal, so I'm not always making it, which can be quite tricky, because I am in love with it's deliciousness.

Ingredients
4 full chicken legs (you can use breast)
4 large pitas

Musakhan

2 large red onions
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted)
2 tbsp ground sumac
1 tbsp tahini sauce
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Parsley and pomegranate for garnish



Method
Slice the onions and let sautee in almost the entire cup of olive oil for around 25 minutes, on low-medium heat. While the onions are cooking, coat the chicken with all the spices and then heat up some oil in a large skillet and cook the chicken for about 25 minutes. You can also bbq grill, or bake the chicken.


Once the onions are done, spread some over each pita and bake in the oven at 350C for 5 minutes, or until it begins to get a good crisp (don't over do it!) Place the cooked chicken on top and garnish with pine nuts and tahihi sauce.

Enjoy!