Matoke -Plantain green banana salad

Healthy and delicious plantain salad  with a spicy kick .

Ingredients:

4 green plantain
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 green chilli finely chopped
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice.
Fresh coriander for garnish

Method:

1.Place the plantain in a large pan and cover with water.
2.Bring the water to boil and simmer on medium heat until plantain is cooked.(Plantain is cooked when the skins will split open slight;y and turn black.)

3.Drain the water and peel the skin of the plantain and cut into 1/2 cm round discs
4. In a pan add the oil when it is hot add the plantain slices,green chilli,salt, chilli powder and toss for 2-3 minutes
5. Transfer to a serving dish, squeeze  lemon on it and garnish with fresh coriander.
Serve as side dish or salad.

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Geelrys -South African yellow rice
 Submitting to:

Flavours of  South Africa, event by simply.food guest hosted by PJ of seduce your tastebuds

Product Review ~Terra Rossa

On my recent visit to the taste of London food festival, I met the lovely Hanan founder of Terra Rossa. Terra Rossa is the name given to the “red soil” which is commonly found in the fertile green crescent which covers Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The soil is particularly good for cultivating olive groves, citrus trees and grape vines.
Terra Rossa are specialist in Arabian products which are used in preparing exquisite Arabian cuisine. At the exhibition I was able to sample aromatic spice infused olive oils that are perfect for dipping Mediterranean bread, I tasted dips such as red and green Harissa and an array of Arabian spices such as sumac and Zaataar.

The oils and spices are perfect for seasoning and adding to houmous, dips and dressing salads.
In addition for those with a sweet tooth, there was the delicious pistachio and apricot nougat, sugared almonds and a tradition Arabian sweet called manna made with mixed almonds, pistachio nuts and cardamom.
I was truly bowled over with the products and when Hanan offered to send me some samples of the oils, spices and the dips with the beautiful hand painted dipping bowls I was overjoyed.

All Terra Rossa products are offered in elegantly packaged bottles, with hand made ceramic dipping pots and are presented in natural corrugated cartons, jute bags, Jordanian Hampers and hand-crafted wooden boxes. All the products are sold via delicatessens, farm shops and garden centres with fine food sections and can be purchased directly from Terra Rossa on line.

I would like to thank Hanan for her generosity in sending me the oils, spices, dips and particularly the beautiful dipping bowls. The introduction to these beautiful ingredients has fuelled my passion for trying Arabian and Middle Eastern foods and I have been cooking some Lebanese  and Moroccan  dishes at simply.food.

All views, opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Sweet Trees

Edible chocolate covered sweet trees.

Non edible item required:

7 cm polystyrene ball
Small flower pot or tea light holder
12 inch wooden dowling rod(diameter 1 cm)
Spare piece of dowling for dipping
Plaster of Paris
Decorative ribbon 2 metres


Ingredients

240 g milk chocolate
30 g white chocolate
Sweets (smarties, m&m's or maltersers )

Method:

1. Wrap the ribbon around the dowling rod and secure both ends with sticky tape.
2.  Make plaster of Paris as per packet instructions and once it has been mixed half fill the pot with the plaster of Paris.(Do not overfill pot as the plaster will expand and crack the pot if you overfill)

3. Immediately push the dowling that is covered with ribbon into the plaster of Paris and hold it steady and making sure its is straight in the centre of the pot. The plaster of Paris will set very quickly.
4. Leave the pot to one side for the plaster of Paris to harden completely.
5. Wipe clean the polystyrene ball and using a sharp knife, pierce a hole in the bottom of the ball about 2 cm deep.
6. Using the spare dowling gently push it into the hole.(This will used to hold as we dip the ball.)
7. In double boiler place the chocolate and melt it.

 

8.Once chocolate has melted, dip the polystyrene ball into the chocolate by holding it from the dowling.Tap the rod to shake off any extra chocolate and leave the chocolate to set on the ball. 
9. Once chocolate is set repeat this procedure again so that the chocolate covered ball is re dipped in chocolate.Leave the chocolate to set on the ball.
10. Once again dip the chocolate covered ball into the chocolate for the third  and final time.Shake off extra chocolate and leave to set fully.Once chocolate is set place the ball into the freezer for 5-10 minutes. after which take the chocolate covered ball out of the freezer.and place it on a tea towel.
11. Gently twist the chocolate covered ball off the dowling and place it on the dowling that has been set in the pot.
11. Slightly cool the melted chocolate so that it thickens a little.

12. Dip sweets of your choice in the cooled chocolate and stick them to the chocolate ball..

  

13.One the ball is totally covered in the sweets place the sweet tree in the fridge to fully set the chocolate.
14. After 30 minutes remove the sweet tree form fridge and tie a piece of ribbon on the dowling.(If desired melt some white chocolate and drizzle it over the sweet tree.

15. Fill the flower pot with remaining sweets.
Sweet tree is ready, to give as a gift ,wrap in cellophane and secure with ribbon.

Christmas Vanilla short bread

Rich and crumbly vanilla short bread.

Ingredients:

180 grams / 6 oz plain flour
60 grams / 2 oz sugar
120 grams /4 oz  butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon milk
Silver edible draggies

Icing:

6 tablespoons icing sugar
gel food colours green, pink, brown and yellow.
2-3 teaspoon water approx

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F
2. In a bowl cream together the sugar and butter.
3. Add the vanilla, milk and flour and make a dough.
4. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
5. After the dough has chilled, roll it out on a dusted surface and cut out Christmas tree shaped short bread.

6. Place shortbread on baking tray and bake for 10-12 mins until slightly golden.
7. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
8. In a bowl sieve the icing sugar, add a little water to form a thick dropping consistency icing that holds shape when piped.(The amount of water to add is approx and make sure the icing is not too runny otherwise you won't be able to pipe with it.)Divide the remaining mixture into into half and colour one half  green. Divide the remaining icing into three parts.Colour one part yellow, one part brown and one part pink
9.Make  icing bag  from greaseproof paper.
10.Fill the cones with prepared icing .
11. Start with the green icing and outline all the cookies with the green icing.
12. Thin the green icing by adding 2-3 drops water and use it to fill the inside of the green outlined cookies. This is called flooding. Leave the icing to set for 30 minutes.

13. Once green icing is dry. Pipe a base for the tree in brown icing.pipe. Next pipe yellow wiggly lines to represent tinsel on the tree.

14. With the pink icing pipe bows and stars to represent ribbons and stars on the tree.
15.Sprinkle some edible silver balls to represent baubles.

Allow the icing to set for few hours before wrapping the short bread in cellophane for gifts.

Submitting to:
Lets cook edible gifts for Christmas event by simply.food.

Snowflake Lemon Shortbread

Rich melt in the mouth shortbread with a lovely citrus zing.

Ingredients:

180 grams / 6 oz plain flour
60 grams / 2 oz sugar
120 grams /4 oz  butter
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon milk

Icing:

4 tablespoons icing sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon water approx

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F
2. In a bowl cream together the sugar and butter.
3. Add the lemon zest, milk and flour and make a dough.
4. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
5. After the dough has chilled, roll it out on a dusted surface and cut out snowflake shaped short bread.
6. Place shortbread on baking tray and bake for 10-12 mins until slightly golden.
7. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
8. In a bowl sieve the icing sugar, add the lemon juice and little water to form a thick dropping consistency icing that holds shape when piped.(The amount of water to add is approx and make sure the icing is not too runny otherwise you won't be able to pipe with it.)
9.Make  icing bag  from grease proof paper.
10.Fill the cones with prepared icing and ice the shortbread with the icing.
Allow the icing to set for few hours before wrapping the short bread in cellophane for gifts.

Submitting to:
Lets cook edible gifts for Christmas event by simply.food.