Chorba Soup

Chorba Soup from North East Algeria

Ingredients:
2lbs boned and diced lamb
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin chick peas
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp chopped celery leaves
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp dried mint
½ cup of bulgur or cracked wheat

Method:
Lightly brown the onion and lamb in olive oil
Add all the other ingredients except the mint and wheat
Cover with water and cook until the lamb is tender (1 hour)
Add the wheat and mint. Cook for a further 15min
Garnish with a little chopped coriander
Serve with a wedge of lemon

Mushrooms and Ratatouille

Flat cap mushroom with ratatouille, goat's cheese and basil
Ingredients:
3 peppers, red, green and yellow cut into thick strips
2 courgettes thickly sliced ½ inch
1 aubergine cut into 1 inch cubes 1 onion thickly sliced
2 cloves of garlic
1tbsp fresh basil
1 tsp of sugar
1tbsp of white wine vinegar
pinch of thyme
salt and pepper
3 tomatoes peeled and diced
4 large flat cap mushrooms, one per person is enough as a starter.
Method:
To peel tomatoes: Score them with a sharp knife. Bring a pan full of water to the boil and then drop the tomatoes in for 30 seconds. As soon as the skin starts flaking away, place them into a bowl of cold water. The rest of the skin will come off easily.
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan
Place all the ingredients in the pan and sauté on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the vinegar, a pinch of thyme and sugar. Turn down the heat and cook for a further 15 minutes.
4 large flat cap mushrooms, one per person is enough as a starter.
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan.
Fry the mushrooms skin side down for 3 minutes until golden. Season with salt and pepper. Place in an oven tray skin side down. Put enough ratatouille to cover the mushroom. Flake some goat's cheese on top of the ratatouille. Bake in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has turned golden.
Sprinkle a little bit of chopped basil and serve with garlic bread.

Meshwia

Meshwia
North African Chargrilled Pepper Salad
Ingredients:
3 large sweet peppers, green, red and yellow-1 large onion-2 cloves of garlic-1 tbsp chopped parsley-1 lemon-2 tbsp olive oil-Salt and pepper-Harissa (optional)
Method:
Slice the peppers in half through the stalk; discard the seeds and place on barbecue or hot grill with the unpeeled onion and cloves of garlic.
Grill until charred. Place into a plastic bag until cool. When cool skin all the vegetables and slice finely.
Place in a salad bowl and add the juice of a whole lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper. For those who like spicy food, add a tbsp Harissa.

This salad should be served very cold with barbecued meats or fish.

If you are in a hurry buy a jar of chargrilled red peppers, add a finely sliced green pepper and some finely diced red onion.
Finish as above.
Not quite the real thing but who wants to slave over a hot stove on holiday.

Screamers Rescued...

Blogger Support came to rescue and retrieved my Blog!
I'll be more careful next time.
I will still try and use this blog for recipes.
Watch this space!

Lost Screamers

This is one of them hilarious things that happen every now and then to remind us that we are only human.
As I said in the previous post, Annie suggested that I should start a food blog.
I set it up but the title was a bit rude "Suck my Cockles".
So I decided to delete it.

Guess what!
I deleted my Screamers instead! I could scream!

Well what the hell! A change is as good as a rest! This could be a new beginning!

I will try and think of a few recipes to stick on this blog and if other bloggers can contribute, then the more the merrier!

Food blog?

Annie suggested that I should start a food blog. I am gonna give it a try...