ObaraKenshin

Ingredients: For the potato:  1 � kg potatoes 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 20 cl milk 4 tbsp butter, melted � cup breadcrumbs For the stuffing: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 medium onions, chopped 14 oz (400 g) minced meat (beef or lamb) 2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted � tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp allspice salt to taste Boil potatoes in water until it is cooked. Drain and keep to cool then peel and mash. Mix the mashed potato with salt, black pepper and milk. Set aside. Brush an oven tray with 2 tbsp melted butter and sprinkle with half the bread crumbs. Set aside. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan and saut� onion for 2 minutes. Then add the minced meat and fry for 5 minutes or until brown in color. Add the pine nuts and spices. Stir for few seconds or until all are well combined then set aside. Spread half the quantity of the mashed potato over the prepared oven tray. Spread the stuffing evenly over the potato then the rest of the mashed potato on top. Sprinkle the remaining ...

I cannot say enough about falafel, those gloriously seasoned fried balls are a staple of Middle-Eastern food. Falafel, is thought to be originated from Egypt, where the dish is widely known as ta'amiya in the Cairo dialect. Falafel were eaten for Lent by the Copts of Egypt. They�ve since made their way through the Middle East in various guises, most popularly in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. In case you've never tasted them, falafel is a vegetarian dish, made from a mixture of ground chickpeas and/or fava beans, rolled into walnut-sized balls or patties and deep-fried until browned and crisp on the outside, yielding to a fluffy interior. Some recipes call for fava beans instead of chickpeas, or half fava beans half chickpeas, or only chickpeas. Now, the common theme is that dried beans should be soaked in cold water overnight but not cooked, they are only ground into a paste. In Lebanon, falafel are wrapped in pita bread along with chopped herbs, pickles and a tahini sauce. If yo...

I know I am not keeping my promises and I know some of you are really wondering why I am not blogging anymore... but believe me there's no more free time. Life is hectic between work, raising a child, meeting up with friends... but I know deep down inside that you all forgive my absence... Here is a dish I made last saturday at my parents house. We had a big dinner, I couldn't though take pictures when it was out of the oven because it was dark and anyway there was no time, it was devoured in seconds. I hope you will like it, it's a really easy dish to prepare, for the working moms out there who want it to be more easy, you can use a ready made pesto sauce... Ingredients (4 persons): 4 chicken filets 3 tbsp olive oil salt and pepper pitted and chopped olives 1 tomato sliced 1 pepper sliced 1 cup shredded cheese Pesto sauce: 1 cup fresh basil leaves 2 garlic cloves 3 tbsp olive oil pinch of salt 2 tbsp pine nuts Make small cuts in the chicken filets, season them w...

You may be wondering where I have been all this time!! It�s been months (!!) since I�ve posted on Chicho's Kitchen! It�s the longest break from food blogging that I�ve ever taken, and I�ve been feeling guilty about it. It all started back right after we moved back from Paris, and I started working full time. Unfortunately, my blog was the first to suffer. Since then, I�ve had trouble getting back into it. With each week that passed, my blog began feeling like an old friend with whom you�ve lost contact for so long that you feel awkward about calling again. So much time has passed�where should I start? Should I pretend like nothing happened? Back in the fall, I received big news too:  I�m pregnant! For the first few months, I was feeling really drained. When I was working, it felt like I was on autopilot, going from one task to the next. Slowly, I lost the will to do the things I used to live for: cooking and food blogging. Besides working, I did everything that I usually d...

Light and refreshing... this is how I describe this pasta dish. So what could be better than an easy tasty meal to prepare on a day off... I whipped this pasta dish in like half an hour, and we devoured it in less than 20 mn :) I guess we were a bit too hungry! We were off Friday and Monday, a long weekend i was longing for a long time ago. Sometimes you just need this break from work and routine just to recharge your batteries and go back with full energy. It was a perfect timing as the weather was so beautiful and the sun was always there to cheer us up. Well, enough dreaming... tomorrow back to work... :( snif snif Ingredients: 500 g (1 lb) pasta linguine 1 1/2 kg medium shrimps, peeled & deveined 6 garlic cloves, minced 2 tbsp of olive oil 1 tbsp of lemon juice a big handful of chopped cilantro salt and pepper In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the chopped cilantro and cook. Add the shrimps and cook almost until ...

This is a very healthy and delicious salad. Today, people appreciate quinoa for its nutritional value. Quinoa is considered a superfood. Protein content is very high, yet not as high as most beans and legumes. Furthermore, it is a good source of dietary fiber and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten free and considered easy to digest. This quinoa salad is a toss together of cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, avocado, red bell pepper... Enjoy. Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked quinoa, well rinsed 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups water 1/3 cup sliced red/white onion 2 tbsp lemon juice 2 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks 3 medium cucumbers, cut into chunks 2 avocados cubed 2 red bell peppers cut into chunks 1 beetroot cooked and cut into cubes 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts Put the rinsed quinoa, salt and water into a pot and bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer gently until the quinoa absorbs all the water, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Place ...

I am so lucky to be enjoying a cool front this week. The weather is now wonderful! The temperature has slowly dropped especially at night, and I am so loving it. Fall is right around the corner. I cannot wait till it�s cool enough to wear leggings, sweaters, & boots. I know we all like to bake when the weather starts cooling down too, when you want to warm up your kitchen with scrumptious desserts and cakes. Lebanon's climate is characterized by a hot and virtually rain-free summer, reaching a high temperature of 35�C in August. This Saturday I woke up around 9 o'clock. I was dreaming about baking something. I wanted something quick so that I can enjoy my morning coffee on the balcony. I didn't want to spend long hours in the kitchen whipping up a cake that will be devoured in 3 hours... :) So I thought about brownies... but not any brownie... a double chocolate brownie with chocolate chips... Brownies are among my favorite treats, they're dense and fudgy. These br...