Set fire to the rain....

Really, normally I am not the complaining type but..... when it is July and supposed to be warm and sunny it is already raining for 2 weeks and looking at the weather forecast it is not likely to stop soon. That's why I already started to make summery things like lemon batido and ice cream but it is not really helping...... However, when I read the newspaper this morning I came across the recipe of something that might actually help.... we all know that fire and water don't go together so by starting making chili based recipes.... we might be able to fight this rain.

The recipe is for the North African chili paste called Harissa. Like the Chinese use sambal, the North African people use harissa. It is hot with a slight sweet undertone. If you don't like it very hot, than you just simply don't use the seeds and use less hot chili's or leave out a few...

I like my harissa on almost everything, it just spices things up a bit. It is especially delicious when eaten in combination with a cous-cous dish like Tajine (the general word for stews from North Africa, they are prepared in a special pot called a Tajine)

I could just simpy place a link here to the recipe, but since it is in Dutch I translated it for you: 

You need: 

- 1 red pepper
- 1 small tablespoon cumin seeds
- 7 red chili peppers
- 2 cloves of garlic, pealed
- a pinch of sea salt
- 1-2 table spoons of lemon juice
- 50 ml olive oil

Place the pepper above a flame and turn it around so that all skin turns black. Then place the pepper in a bowl and seal it with plastic film.
Roast the cumin seeds in a pan until you can smell them. Clean the chili's and remove the seeds, the more you remove the less 'hot' the paste will be. Cut them in chunks and place them together with the cumin seeds, salt, and garlic in a food processor making it a nice puree.

Take the red pepper and remove the blackened skin. Slice it open and remove the seeds. Cut it up in chunks and add to the puree, puree it one more time. Add a table spoon of lemon juice and then while mixing add the olive oil. It is now finished but you can tweek it to your own taste.. adding some more lemon juice, or black pepper or......

This recipe is enough for 2 small jars and it will last about 2 weeks..... I hope this will be enough to scare the rain away!!!!!!

For this blogpost I used THIS recipe

Artichokes are in season !!

And you can find lots of them everywhere!! Artichokes are such a treat in many different ways. The way I like them best is actually very plain and natural.

Depending on the size I cook them for about 20-30 minutes, making sure the heart is cooked as well. I never cut of the tip of the leafs.... I don't understand why people do that.... why should I mutilate an artichoke without any reason? Anyway, when the artichoke is cooked I let it cool for about 5 minutes, otherwise my enthusiasm causes burn blisters on my hands ;-)

Then, when ready, I dip the bottom of the leaf either in melted butter, or a sauce made of mayonnaise, mustard, yoghurt ,salt, pepper and lots of lemon juice. 

Truly delicioso!

What is your favourite artichoke recipe?

Yeah Tabbouleh

The author of this blog is sooo right!! How many times I tried ordering Tabbouleh and ended up getting something that didn't even came close.... it should be a very nice fresh, mainly, herbal salad with some tomato and some bulgur. Not the other way round. I understand that it is a lot of work, chopping all the ingredients, making sure you leave out the stems and that it is also cheaper to put more bulgur in it but .....  that should not be an argument. When one orders a Tabbouleh, one should get Tabbouleh and not something else. Like one day I ordered in a cafe a Ceasar Salad and ended up getting a  salad with ham and pineapple....seriously??  Their answer: oh that's how we make them here...."  Well then, don't call it a Ceasar Salad, it's that simple...

So I hope you enjoy this recipe of Tabouleh, I know I will on a hot summers day!