Air fryer Falafel
For crunchy falafels, use soaked dry chickpeas instead of cooked or canned chickpeas. To cook them in the air fryer, it's best to form the mixture into lightly packed patties so they lay flat in the air fryer basket. Be sure not to crowd the basket.
Ingredients
2 cups dried chickpeas, Do NOT use canned or cooked chickpeas
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup fresh parsley leaves, stems removed
¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed
½ cup fresh dill, stems removed
1 small onion, quartered
7-8 garlic cloves, peeled
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional (it does get spicy, so be careful how much you add)
To be added after one hour in the fridge:
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Soak the chickpeas. (One day ahead of time.) Soak your dried chickpeas in a large bowl of water with the baking soda (the water must cover the chickpeas by at least 2 inches). Set aside for 18 to 24 hours until the chickpeas have softened and plumped up. Drain well.
Make the falafel dough or mixture. Add the chickpeas, herbs, onions, garlic and spices to the large bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Run the food processor in 40-second increments until everything is well blended and you have a mixture that is similar in texture to coarse cornmeal.
Refrigerate the mixture. Transfer the mixture to a container and cover tightly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or (up to overnight).
Add baking powder and mix. Before air frying, add the baking powder and toasted sesame seeds to the falafel "dough" and stir with a spoon.
Form falafel patties. Scoop a couple tablespoonfuls of the falafel mixture into your palms and form into disks or patties (about ½-inch thickness). It helps to have wet hands as you form the patties so they don't stick too much. Do not pack the patties too much, so they don't turn out too dense.
Arrange the falafel patties in the air fryer basket. Lightly brush one side of the falafel patties with olive oil. Add them to the basket (oiled side down), and brush the top of the patties with olive oil as well. Don't crowd the basket, allow the patties enough room so they become crisp as they cook. (Work in batches as needed).
Set the air fryer to 400 degrees F and air fry the falafel. Air fry the patties at 400 degrees F on one side for 5 minutes, then check if they have gained some colour. If not, close the basket and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until they have turned nice and golden brown. Turn the patties and air fry on the other side.
Ingredients
2 cups dried chickpeas, Do NOT use canned or cooked chickpeas
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup fresh parsley leaves, stems removed
¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed
½ cup fresh dill, stems removed
1 small onion, quartered
7-8 garlic cloves, peeled
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional (it does get spicy, so be careful how much you add)
To be added after one hour in the fridge:
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Soak the chickpeas. (One day ahead of time.) Soak your dried chickpeas in a large bowl of water with the baking soda (the water must cover the chickpeas by at least 2 inches). Set aside for 18 to 24 hours until the chickpeas have softened and plumped up. Drain well.
Make the falafel dough or mixture. Add the chickpeas, herbs, onions, garlic and spices to the large bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Run the food processor in 40-second increments until everything is well blended and you have a mixture that is similar in texture to coarse cornmeal.
Refrigerate the mixture. Transfer the mixture to a container and cover tightly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or (up to overnight).
Add baking powder and mix. Before air frying, add the baking powder and toasted sesame seeds to the falafel "dough" and stir with a spoon.
Form falafel patties. Scoop a couple tablespoonfuls of the falafel mixture into your palms and form into disks or patties (about ½-inch thickness). It helps to have wet hands as you form the patties so they don't stick too much. Do not pack the patties too much, so they don't turn out too dense.
Arrange the falafel patties in the air fryer basket. Lightly brush one side of the falafel patties with olive oil. Add them to the basket (oiled side down), and brush the top of the patties with olive oil as well. Don't crowd the basket, allow the patties enough room so they become crisp as they cook. (Work in batches as needed).
Set the air fryer to 400 degrees F and air fry the falafel. Air fry the patties at 400 degrees F on one side for 5 minutes, then check if they have gained some colour. If not, close the basket and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until they have turned nice and golden brown. Turn the patties and air fry on the other side.
Muhammara Yasma Inspired
- 2 red bell peppers
- 4 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil divided
- ¼ lb shelled toasted walnuts
- 1 garlic clove roughly chopped
- 2 ½ tablespoon tomato paste
- ¾ cup bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
Brush the bell peppers with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and place in a lightly oiled oven-safe pan or cast-iron skillet. Roast the peppers in the 425 degrees F heated oven for 30 minutes or so, turning them over once or twice.
Remove from the oven and place the peppers in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap for a few minutes. This traps the steam from the roasted peppers, making them easy to peel. When cool enough to handle, simply peel the peppers, remove the seeds and slice the peppers into small strips.
In the bowl of a large food processor, combine the roasted red pepper strips with 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, walnuts, tomato paste, bread crumbs, pomegranate molasses, Aleppo pepper, sugar, sumac, salt and cayenne. Blend into a smooth paste.
Transfer to a serving bowl. You may cover the Muhammara and refrigerate, but be sure to bring the dip to room temperature before serving.
When ready to serve, top the dip with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with a little more walnuts, pom seeds and fresh parsley, if you like. Serve with pita bread or pita chips. Enjoy!
https://www.themediterraneandish.com/muhammara-recipe-roasted-red-pepper-dip/#wprm-recipe-container-10628
Pico de Gallo
This pico de gallo recipe is fresh, delicious and easy to make! You’ll need only 5 ingredients to make this classic Mexican dip—tomato, onion, cilantro, jalapeño and lime. Recipe yields about 4 cups (about 8 servings).
- 1 cup finely chopped red onion (about 1 small onion)
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped (decrease or omit if sensitive to spice, or add another if you love heat)
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste
- 1 ½ pounds ripe red tomatoes (about 8 small or 4 large), chopped
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (about 1 bunch)
- In a medium serving bowl, combine the chopped onion, jalapeño, lime juice and salt. Let it marinate for about 5 minutes while you chop the tomatoes and cilantro.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and cilantro to the bowl and stir to combine. Taste, and add more salt if the flavors don’t quite sing.
- For the best flavour, let the mixture marinate for 15 minutes or several hours in the refrigerator. Serve as a dip, or with a slotted spoon or large serving fork to avoid transferring too much watery tomato juice with your pico. Pico de gallo keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.
Homemade crostini with olive oil, fleur de sel
and EVERYDAY bagel seasoning blend
Crostini Tips & Tricks
- Start with good bread. Baguette is preferred, or any elongated crusty bread should do. I suggest to use the thinest baguette possible.
- No worries if your bread is stale--your crostini will turn out just as well.
- A serrated knife works best for slicing bread. I suggest slicing your bread reasonably thin, about 1/2-inch thick or just under—any thinner, and your bread might fall apart.
- No need to flip your toasts while baking.
- The crostini are done when they’re golden on top and sound sort of hollow when you give them a little tap.
- Finish your crostini with a light sprinkle fleur de sel and any additional toppings you might enjoy. I used Everyday bagel seasoning blend.
- 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees
- 8 to 10 minutes at 400 degrees
- 6 to 9 minutes at 450 degrees
Greek Mezze Platter
Καλή όρεξη
Dolmades, Falafel, Tzatziki, Hummus, Feta, Kalamata olives, slices of Persian cucumber and cherry tomatoes
Falafel recipe: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/how-to-make-falafel/#tasty-recipes-10436-jump-target
Dolmades recipe: https://www.mygreekdish.com/recipe/greek-dolmades-recipe-stuffed-vine-leaves/
Hummus recipe: https://www.inspiredtaste.net/15938/easy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe/
Falafel recipe: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/how-to-make-falafel/#tasty-recipes-10436-jump-target
Dolmades recipe: https://www.mygreekdish.com/recipe/greek-dolmades-recipe-stuffed-vine-leaves/
Hummus recipe: https://www.inspiredtaste.net/15938/easy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe/
Roasted cauliflower and chickpeas
(Vegan)
1 cauliflower, 1 can of chickpeas, 3 tbs olive oil, 3/4 tbs paprika, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 2 and 1/2 tbs honey (divided), 1/2 cup chopped parsley, juice of 1/2 lime, 2 tbs pine nuts.
Preheat oven to 425. Add cauliflower and chickpeas to a bowl, toss with 2 tbs olive oil, 1 and 1/2 tbs of honey, paprika, garlic powder and salt. Toss to combine. Spread the mixture onto a sheet pan with parchment paper, roast for 30-35 minutes until tender and brown. Once done, add chopped parsley, lime juice, olive oil and honey. Transfer to a plate and top with pine nuts.
Preheat oven to 425. Add cauliflower and chickpeas to a bowl, toss with 2 tbs olive oil, 1 and 1/2 tbs of honey, paprika, garlic powder and salt. Toss to combine. Spread the mixture onto a sheet pan with parchment paper, roast for 30-35 minutes until tender and brown. Once done, add chopped parsley, lime juice, olive oil and honey. Transfer to a plate and top with pine nuts.
Salami Rose
Layer your salami around the rim of a glass, making sure each layer has about 3 salami pieces. Flip the glass over. You've got a salami rose!
Kashke Bademjan
Eggplant Dip
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
- 4 Chinese Eggplants
- 1 large Onion Sliced
- 4 cloves Garlic Minced
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- ¾ cup Liquid Kashk (whey)
- 1 tbsp saffron
- 2 tbsp Dried Mint sautéed (be careful not to burn)
- Peel the eggplants and cut them in halves lengthwise, then cut each into half width-wise.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan, once hot, place the eggplants in the pan and sear on both sides until golden brown. The eggplants are not supposed to cook all the way through.
- Take the eggplants out of the pan and place them in a plate. In the same pan, pour two tablespoons olive oil and saute the onion until golden brown and soft.
- Add in the garlic and give it a nice stir.
- Add in the browned eggplants, turmeric, salt and black pepper. Cover and cook for ten to fifteen minutes until the eggplants are cooked through.
- Once the eggplants are cooked, turn the heat off and mash the eggplants using a potato masher or an immersion blender.
- Add kashk, one tablespoon dried mint and bloomed saffron to the eggplant mixture and stir well. Turn the heat on to medium and cook for another five to eight minutes.
- Serve warm or cold with pita, lavash or naan bread.
- Heat ½ tbsp olive oil in a pan and sear one tbsp dried mint for thirty seconds.
- Top kashke bademjan with more kashk (yogurt whey), seared dried mint and caramelized onion and garlic.
Tangy Tzatziki
Use a 5 ounce container of Greek yogurt (the higher fat content, the tastier it will be). In a bowl, mix yogurt and 1/4 cup sour cream (high fat), 2 tbs lemon juice, 1 tbs white wine vinegar, 1 tbs chopped fresh dill, 1 and 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 2 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp ground pepper. seed 2 English cucumbers and grate them. Place grated cucumber in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze the liquid out. Add the cucumber to the yogurt mixture. Mix thoroughly and place in fridge. This can be served with Greek potatoes and rack of lamb (see my entrée page).
Charcuterie Board
You decide what goes on your charcuterie board but it should contain a selection of soft and hard cheeses, cured meats such as salami, prosciutto etc, fresh fruit (blueberry, strawberry or grapes), dried fruit (apple chips, dates, apricots or persimmons are great choices), a selection of nuts (almonds, walnuts etc) pickles, olives, sun dried tomatoes (I also added caper berries), your fave crackers or even toasted baguette sliced thin, jam, honey or fig spread (I used red pepper and cranberry spread) and last but not least chocolate pieces ( I used burnt almond). I didn't have any but you can also add olive tapenade to the mix.
Ceviche
(inspired by Natasha's kitchen)
Ingredients
- 1 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined*
- 1/4 tsp Salt and black pepper, or to taste
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 medium limes, juiced
- 2 medium/large avocados
- 1/2 english cucumber
- 3 medium or 4 roma tomatoes
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 1/2 cup Cilantro (1/2 bunch) chopped
- Season shrimp lightly with salt and pepper. Place a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook 3 minutes total, turning once halfway. Saute just until cooked through then remove from the pan. Transfer to cutting board, coarsely chop and place into a large mixing bowl.
- Squeeze the juice of 3 medium limes over the shrimp, stir and set aside to marinate while you prepare remaining salsa ingredients.
- Dice cucumber, tomato and avocado and add them to the mixing bowl with shrimp.
- Finely dice onion and chop 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro. Add to the mixing bowl then stir together all of the ingredients until well combined and serve. We love this served with hot sauce (such as Tabasco) and tortilla chips.
Cajun Prawn Bites
These are super easy to make when you want to whip up something yummy real fast. I used large uncooked prawns, cracked pepper and olive oil Triscuit crackers, Boursin, chopped chives and lemon juice. Toss the prawns in Cajun spice, salt and pepper, lemon juice and pan fry with a little salted butter and olive oil. Serve on top of cheese and cracker. Sprinkle with chives and squirt of lemon juice.
Noon, paneer, sabzi platter
(Persian style cheese platter)
As you can see anything goes! I have used different herbs: mint, tarragon, basil, cilantro, parsley, green onion, radishes, Persian cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, re-hydrated walnuts, feta cheese, Halvardeh and Sangak and Lavash breads. You can get these ingredients at any Persian food store. To re-hydrate walnuts, bathe unsalted walnuts a few days in cold water and refrigerate. Change water daily. To serve, season with a little dash of salt.
Cheese board - fromages et charcuteries
I think the pics speak for themselves. No recipe required here. I highly recommend Morbier cheese (from Whole Foods) with ash.
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Guacamole
I have copyrighted this recipe :)
- 4-5 ripe avocados
- 1 bunch parsley chopped
- 1 bunch chives chopped
- juice of 1 lime and 1 lemon (include the zest)
- salt and pepper
- garlic (one) and shallot (one) chopped; instead of shallots you can also use green onions
- sprinkle of red pepper flakes
- olive oil (3 tbs)
- sprinkle paprika on top
- 4-5 ripe avocados
- 1 bunch parsley chopped
- 1 bunch chives chopped
- juice of 1 lime and 1 lemon (include the zest)
- salt and pepper
- garlic (one) and shallot (one) chopped; instead of shallots you can also use green onions
- sprinkle of red pepper flakes
- olive oil (3 tbs)
- sprinkle paprika on top
Salad brochettes for a cocktail party
For these brochettes, you can purchase the wooden skewers from any supermarket. I have made 2 kinds of salads here: Caprese and Greek. For the Caprese, use Bocconcini pearls or cocktails, small cherry tomatoes and basil leaves. For the Greek brochettes, use feta, yellow pepper, Kalamata olive (pitted), half a cherry tomato, baby cukes.
Bruschetta and baguette crisps
- 6 or 7 ripe tomatoes, preferably Campari, they are the sweetest.
- 2 tsp of minced garlic - 1 tbs olive oil - 1 tsp balsamic vinegar - fresh basil leaves chopped (8 large leaves) - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese - salt and pepper to taste Cut the baguette and toast them in oven until golden and serve together. |
Melon parme, olives and more...
I love prosciutto and I could eat it on its own or with sweet cantaloupe or figs when they are ripe and sweet. I have wrapped the melon in prosciutto and topped with balsamic pearls.