The Zucchini and the Great Unknown Marrow Soup

'Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, 

Not Hindu,Buddhist, Sufi or Zen, 

Not Any religion.

Or cultural System. I am not

From the East or the West, 

Not out of the Ocean or up from the Ground...

I belong to the Beloved'

Rumi

You see, most people can just walk into Tesco, or shop online (mine used to be Abel and Cole) at the large variety of different vegetables available, choose carefully which ones they want or like, remember those recommendations from friends. Even Tesco express would do. It doesn't have to be large. A corner shop even? They would almost always have some form of fresh ginger or seasonal vegetable that you can choose. 

I guess the interesting thing about living in a village, rather than London. And in the middle of the Mediterranean instead of the British Isles, (where I live is considered occupied territory, only recognised officially by two countries (one is Pakistan, and the other holds an almost identical flag) thus resulting in branded products not being sold here... or anything of any real quality) is that somehow I manage to get a large proportion (considering) of my fruit and veg from the street. I don't mean a bustling market with delicious smells and you get the picture.... I mean, lying on the road, fallen off a truck. 

I have to say I find this delightful - some of my most delicious recipes (See Plum Compote) have resulted from this. Others a stroke of luck (yesterday I got 10 apples this way, oh, and a lemon also...)...I will be baking more Apple Cake (or crumble) very soon! 

Obviously, there are other ways that vegetables make their way into my fridge.. This is mainly through some form of donation from the wonderful neighbours I have. And yes, I do talk to them! and know their names... well the English Speaking ones anyway :/ Huge bags of vegetables waiting for me. Some might be a little squashed. Some perfect. Some needed some immediate de-insecting, and some I find a little hard to cook. Namely what the British neighbours I have been spending time with, have referred to as 'the non- specific marrow' and what is known to me as the great unknown.... (Its accompanied with a form of screwed up face indicating that they also have come to the same dilemma as me and have no clue how to make this vegetable tasty or delicious, therefore just resulting in a waste of time)... however, we cant waste!

Unfortunately, Non-specific Marrow does not sound exciting at all! (now rebranded the Great Unknown for my own sake) I was much more pleased when another neighbour called it a squash, only to open it up and find the seeds were part of the vegetable (Like zucchini). Anyway... My most major disappointment was the fact that neither Jamie Oliver (at some point I will just call him Jamie, this second name thing is a little ridiculous ;p) neither BBC Good Food (who apparently as of yesterday consider this side of occupied territory 'the Middle East' and wont let me into the UK site thus barring from all of those recipes!), nor Sheikh Google could provide me with a recipe that had 5 stars and the work 'MARROW' next to it. Just doesn't work. 

Anyway, my search continued and I found this recipe (yes, I know the photos on the website are really bad!). I decided to completely ignore the use of Squash, and replace it with the Great Unknown Marrow... and here's the wonderful thing. It tasted so good, I had to call my dervish of a husband and let him know how delicious it was... (it doesn't happen often!). I have decided it is much like the story of the milk and the yogurt... all they have to do is sit in a pot together and somehow magic happens!

 To be honest I was a little bowled over by how easy, quick and delicious this soup is. A Definite Five Stars. No doubt. You have to try it! 

Yum All the way!

Housewife Tips!

- I thought 3 cups of cream was RIDICULOUS... the aim of eating vegetables is not to gain weight.. its to have something delicious. So I have reduced this to 1 1/2 cups of milk fresh from the cows (that's where I get my other stuff from ;)

- Of course, I am sure that squash would be completely delicious in this recipe (so go ahead), and I can only say how jealous I am (anyone that has access to online shopping, corner shops and squash). However, Non-Specific Marrow now has a purpose, and a delicious soup to go with it! 

- I dont know the difference between shallots and onions, so I combined them..

- I decided to cut the zucchini and non-specific marrow into 1-2cm squares rather than rounds.. rounds just looked a bit tacky for me. This also increases the cup sizes (how do you fit a cube in a cup?) So... instead of 1 1/2 cups, I used 2.

- Roasting these vegetables first is an amazing way of increasing the flavour (I roasted them for 30 minutes, already cubed with whole garlic)

- Serve with homemade yogurt, lebne, or parmesan cheese and some delicious warm bread <3

The Zucchini and the Great Unknown Marrow Soup

Ingredients 

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 medium zucchini, cubed about 2 cups
1 non-specific marrow about 2 cups (or squash)
3 cups rich chicken broth (preferably homemade)
1 1/2 cups full fat fresh milk
2 teaspoons minced fresh basil
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano (I used dry)
salt & freshly ground black pepper

If roasting: Extra Olive oil

Directions:

If roasting start here:

1. Preheat the Oven to gas mark 7
2. Cut Onion, Marrow and Zucchini into 2cm cubed pieces, place in a baking tray with whole pieces of garlic (still with the skin on) and drizzle 3-4 tbsp olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
3.  Cover with tin foil.  
4. Place vegetables in preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes
5. When finished put the baking tray to one side and use the roast vegetables as they appear in the following directions.

From oven roasted (or raw) to soup-tastic:

1. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Add onion and sliced garlic and cook until onion is translucent,stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes if not roasted.
3. Add flour and stir 3 minutes
4. Add zucchini and non-specific Marrow and cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in stock, milk, basil and oregano.
6. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes (this will only need 5 or 10 minutes if the vegetables were already roasted).
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
8. Devour!

Serve it with 

Love!

A Basket Full of Focaccia Delights!

'There is a basket of fresh bread on your head,

yet you go door to door asking for crust

Knock on the inner door, no other.'

Rumi

Possibly originating from the ancient Greeks (which may be why this is divine), and devoured across the Mediterranean as well as Argentina (which is almost Europe really!) This focaccia bread is the first, and now my favourite of all the breads; super easy, super delicious, and extremely moreish! 

I completely recommend it to anyone trying something new... 

Jamie's Focaccia

I have to admit... I have a whole list of recipe's just waiting for the right time to be completed. As it turns out I am quite the workaholic in the kitchen, so, the list includes Gnocchi, My First Ever Jerk Chicken, Simple and Delicious Zucchini Soup, the Amazing Pizza's amongst others.... But last night amongst the candle light dinner we shared with some good friends, Focaccia bread not only dazzled the guests, but their tastebuds too ;)

You see, that despite making a delicious bread every couple of days, I wanted to make something special for our guests... I have to thank Jamie Oliver for this recipe. I have to be honest, there was no way I thought that my bread would turn out as delicious and sumptuous as his one. This is his photo (Left). I have this here to provide a comparison!

My Focaccia

I served this as a starter... (what I thought was a starter then it turned out to be one big delicious medly) a small piece of each part on everyone's plates... scattered on the table was baked hummus (I have updates some of the photos on this blog so you can see how it rises!), lebne and fresh yogurt, homemade beetroot Salad (simple boiled beetroot with Lemon and Salt) and cucumbers... Fresh from the oven Potato Wedges and finally once there was was a little room on people's plates, we passed round Jerk Chicken... A winner all over! (I cant forget my unburnt apple cake.. yes.. I mean.. unburnt. Update of how not to burn your cake is now available!)

This bread was devoured and gave the dinner the extra little punch of flavour it needed to blend the vast array of dips, sauces, salads, sides and mains together. Yum!

Crumbs! Tips!

The Missing Ingredients

I knew I wasn't going to have goats cheese at hand or any other fancy cheese (apart from Parmesan of course... I could perhaps die an early death without parmesan in the kitchen... the dervish would never understand!)... So... instead I replaced the cheeses with local handmade Halloumi (cut into rectangles and poked into the dough), and homemade thick Lebne yogurt that had been hanging for two days instead of one (creamed and blobbed on), and had a delicious pungent blue cheese esk taste and smell... Yum! 

I also had no access to any cherry tomatoes... so I just used regular tomatoes.. I should say though, these are fully in season at the moment, and so were full of delicious taste.. which you may not get if you buy regular tomatoes from say ASDA or Tesco... you would have to go for 'Finest'. I would recommend only getting what's local and in Season... God's way of saying 'Its good for you!'

Also, because I just couldn't be bothered to walk to the top of the hill (to be fair it would have been 40 minutes there and back...) I used dry rosemary instead of fresh sprigs...

Jamie says, this serves 10.... well. I am not so sure! Out of the 24 squares I cut this into... only 5 were left, and there were 5 people at the table! The 5 that are left are my little present to myself and I will be having them with some lentil soup this evening! I would say this Serves 5 People comfortably, 6 at a stretch also.. When you have guests... it is well worth making this bread as a complete replacement for normal bread... (double or triple the quantity if necessary if you have a large party of people) It takes less rising time, a tiny little bit more actual hands on cooking, but its so delicious it makes it all worth it!

- Don't get scared by the long list of ingredients... most are readily available in any kitchen!

- I do not have semolina flour and have used normal plan flour instead - as I do with my normal bread and this is still delicious

- I shaved the parmesan rather than grated it, and this created a wonderful later of it all over the cheesy side! Yum 

- This is a great recipe for experimenting with toppings... especially the three cheeses... go on! You know you want to!

- To kill two birds with one stone, I doubled the flour recipe, and used one half for the focaccia, and the other half to make regular white bread (I simply followed the direction notes on rising and baking for regular white bread... using this recipe for the dough)...

Happy Cooking!

Focaccia Delights!

Ingredients:

For the dough

500g strong white bread flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 tbsp Sea Salt, 

1 Sachet of Dried Yeast

1/2 tbsp Caster Sugar

300ml Lukewarm Water

3 tbsp Olive Oil

For the Balsamic Onion Topping

2 tbsp Olive Oil, 

2 Red Onions finely Slices, 

Thyme (I used dry, if there is fresh, then great)

6 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

For the Basil and Tomato Topping

1 Bunch of Fresh Basil

1 large handful of ripe cherry tomatoes halved or 3-4 ripe tomatoes sliced

Sea Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Olive Oil

White Wine Vinegar (I used apple)

2 Cloves of Garlic Peeled and Sliced (crushed)

For the three-cheese and rosemary topping

40g Halloumi Cheese cut into rectangular rods

40g Thick Lebne 

30g Parmesan shaved into thin slices

Fresh or dry Rosemary

Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl or on an Italian board. 
2. Make a well in the centre, then add the oil and water, and mix well. If the dough seems a little stiff, add 1-2 tbsp water, mix well.
3. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for around 5 minutes 
4. Once the dough is satin-smooth, place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Leave to rise for 30 minutes until doubled in size.
   
5. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7 and prepare the toppings
6. For the balsamic onion topping, fry the sliced onions and thyme leaves in 2 tbsp of olice oil over a low heat for about 5 minutes, add the balsamic vinegar, reduce for a minute or two, then leave to cool.
7.  For the basil and tomato topping, roughly chop the basil leaves and put them in a bowl with the sliced tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, a little olive oil and apple or white wine vinegar, add the garlic and mix together (by hand is fine, I also squeezed the tomatoes a little to get the juices out
8.  As soon as the dough has risen, pound it, then place it on a baking tray (I put grease proof paper on mine) and spread it out to cover the tray (my tray was around 12x8 inches.. a little larger, or a little sma
   ller is also fine for this quantity). Push down roughly on top of the dough and prod your fingers in it creating little dips and wells. 
9. Divide the onion and the tomato topping over two thirds of the focaccia. On the last third, poke the halloumi into the dough, smear on some delicious tangy lebne, and sprinkle on a generous amount of parmesan (or three cheeses of your choice!) Add the rosemary and season with salt and pepper
10. Leave the dough to rise for a further 20 minutes
11. Bake the focaccia for 20 minutes until Golden on top and soft in the middle (It also ends up being crispy underneath if the tray is lined with Olive Oil... mine always is!
12. Devour!! (or cut into 24 even slices ready for your guests when they arrive!)

Serve it with Love!

The Chickpea and the Cook

'A Chickpea leaps almost over the rim of the pot where it's being boiled.''Why are you doing this to me?''

The cook knocks him down with the ladle.''Dont you try to jump out.You think I'm torturing you.I'm giving you flavour''

Rumi

Everyone knows there are a thousand ways to make hummus... liquid, stiff, garlicy, lemony, Tescos released their sweet chilli's all over the hummus rack (I confess, I love it), some even make avocado hummus (I'm sorry, I find it repulsive). There are even a thousand ways to spell hummus... so trying to find the 'Perfect houmous/ hummus/hummous/hommos ... recipe' is quite a challenge! Especially considering everyone thinks their's is the best... But I have found it. The best. Ever. Oven Baked Hummus... 

Are you Ready? 

Unbaked Hummus

You see, I guess it's through getting to know chickpeas that I am learning to respect the age old way of doing things. Fast living tins of Chickpea's don't exist here in the wilderness... you can only find the dried out ones... I could feel a fire inside me wanting to make the quickest most delicious chickpea hummus the world has ever known, and could remember Jamie Oliver's recipe with yoghurt.. yes yoghurt... and how everyone was puzzled and amazed when I told them that secret ingredient..

For some reason, I haven't been able to find that recipe online anywhere... (I just checked again.. and it is nowhere!) I remember something along the lines of 1 tin of chickpeas, 1 tbsp Tahini, 3 tbsp Greek Yoghurt, Salt, Lemon and Garlic to taste. All very easy, and as it turns out my secret ingredient, is now no longer secret... There are whole articles comparing the goodness of yoghurt or no yoghurt in hummus. So I won't add anything further, other than mine is the best because, I made Homemade Greek Yoghurt and then added it! Yum...

Anyway, first time round.. I was still in city mode... lets get this done as quickly as possible... (pressure cooker, baking soda, more pressure cooker) as it turns out... the faster you try to cook chickpeas.. the worse it is for your digestion.. and actually, despite all of the tricks.. it makes no sense to make a quick hummus to then be excusing yourself from the table every two minutes...

What makes this recipe super special is that the hummus is baked in the oven... I have never known anyone to make it this way, yet it was very easy, filling and warming. I have to admit, that along with my recipe book, I had also lost the source of this divine hummus recipe and I was only able to salvage the recipe due to saving it on a recipe app I was using once..... which also cleverly saved the source! Here's to Ghillie Basan for the most delicious hummus recipe yet! Click here for the book!

Baking Hummus

Hot Housewife Tips!

My adaptations to the recipe as I find it the easiest way to remember that; we don't always have everything at hand, everything can be done slightly differently, and there are some things that just can never be left out!

I have now accepted (as the chickpea had to in Rumi's poem) that letting the chickpeas rest over night in water, (1 1/ inch extra water over the chickpeas) makes them softest, most delicious, and easier to digest. And when done properly the cooked chickpea is divine, and so is this hummus. 

After resting all night long, and washing away the water and the white stuff (I haven't bothered to work out what it is although I am quite sure it is unwanted) the next step is to boil the chickpeas... usually for 45 minutes in the pressure cooker on a low heat or for an hour and a half in a normal pot. For extra deliciousness add one or two bay leaves to the pot and some crushed garlic to let the chickpeas start to absorb the delicious flavours...

Chickpea conversion : Turns out... everyone has a different version! 

My version, in my climate, is 125g dried chickpeas = 1 tin of chickpeas (400g including water 240g without)

Some minor changes to the recipe: I always wait until the chickpeas, tahini and Greek yoghurt are fully mixed before adding any ingredients that might change the taste... I also only have a hand blender and it becomes quite dangerous blending each teaspoon in electrically!... I find hand mixing with a big spoon much safer, and easier option to stop and taste the garlic, lemon, salt , pepper, etc and bring the hummus to the perfect flavour.

The rest is super easy, super fast, super delicious, super yum! Enjoy!

The Hottest Hummus Around... Smokin!

Flash Frying the Chickpeas in Olive Oil and Paprika

Serves 4-6 

2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed  (250g dried Chickpeas)

2tsp Cumin Seeds (I used ground Cumin as I did not have these to hand)

4 Cloves of Garlic Crushed

4 tbsp Olive Oil

Freshly Squeezed Juice of two Lemons

2 tbsp Tahini

6 tbsp thick creamy Greek Yoghurt (Homemade if possible!)

Salt and Black Pepper

2-3 tbsp Chickpeas to Garnish (or some Pine Nuts)

2 Bay leaves for soaking, and one extra Clove of Garlic
Paprika/Parsley/Corriander/Cumin to Garnish

Directions

If you have dried chickpeas start here:

1. Put 250g Chickpeas in a bowl and cover with 1 1/2 inch water, leave to rest overnight

2. In the morning, put the chickpeas, Bay leaves and 1 crushed garlic in a pan. For every cup of chickpeas, add 1 cup of water. Boil for 1 1/2 hours in a normal pan, or for 45 minutes in a pressure cooker on full heat until chickpeas are tender

If you have tinned chickpeas start here:

3. Preheat the oven to 200c/400f/Gas Mark 6

4. Blend Chickpeas in an electric blender

5. Add Cumin/Cumin Seeds and Olive Oil to the Chickpeas until its a thick paste

6. Add the Tahini and continue blending until the paste is very thick and smooth

7. Add the yoghurt and blend further until the mixture has loosened a little and it has a creamy texture

8. Season to taste with Garlic, Lemon Salt, Pepper

9. Tip the mixture into an oven proof dish (I like terracotta)

10. Take a handful of unwhizzed Chickpeas (or Pine Nuts) and flash fry in butter

11. Pour the chickpeas and butter over the hummus and pop into the pre-heated oven for around 25 minutes, you will notice the hummus rising in the oven
12. Garnish further (optional) with a selection of: Paprika, Cumin, Parsely, Corriander

12. Serve immediately with warm bread, olive oil, olives and lots of love! (Love is essential!)

My Bread and Butter

'From the hundreds of times I lost 

the connection, I learn this;

your fragrance brings me back'

Rumi

Easy to make and bake.. this bread is delicious, fluffy and perfect for toast, sandwiches and smothering on jam and butter 

The smell of baking bread gets me all exited! I cant deny it. I have been referred to as Kung Fu Panda on many occasions! My love of food and spirituality somehow go hand in hand. I mean, when I imagine a mystic, sitting there in meditation, connecting to the Divine, in complete peace... the dude has a little tummy... :) 

The smell of fresh bread baking in the morning, is often associated in my mind with a Turkish Supermarket that was at the top of my road. Delicious, soft, fresh. Yum! In more modern households, an electric breadmaker is one of best friend if you can work out how to time it appropriately :) However, I have been granted the time to make my bread by hand.

Unfortunately, in modern society bread has been vilified as the root of all evil, the reason that all women have that little tummy I was talking about, the reason we overeat, we're overweight, its a trigger food, it causes bloating, allergic reations and this whole list of unwanteds... Its no wonder that Boots stacks their lunch time shelves with the stuff... and that children take it to school every day filled with their favourite jams and cheeses...

I have always found the best trick is to have a balance; leave the bread next to my husband's plate so that he enjoys as much of it as he likes, and I use a little, at the end of my meal to clean my plate, take a jam and smother it!

Despite my absolute love for bread, and brown bread more specifically, my recent research (which unfortunately I have no link for here, although makes complete theoretical sense) is that brown bread - despite the myths of it being extremely healthy, may actually be worse for you than white bread - unless it is organic.

Due to chemicals and pesticides being sprayed on the wheat when it is growing on non-organic bread, the pesticides and chemicals are stored, nicely in the outer shell, the fibre, the bit that makes brown bread brown. And then you eat it. Not good!

Unfortunately at present I do not have the luxury of ordering my organic multi-seed brown bread straight to my house.. and I also do not have access to organic brown wheat and flour... but very fortunately, I do have time, an oven, easy access to white flour and enthusiasm to start making my own home made white bread :)

I found this recipe on the BBC Good Food Website, which I have found extremely helpful in last minute crises! It also has a great number of readers, so working out the very best kind of bread to make is easy due to the ratings! It is worth me saying at this point that I absolutely refuse to post anything that I don't consider to have a five star rating... my mouth cannot lie! 

Tips!

My adaptations to the recipe as I find it the easiest way to remember that; we don't always have everything at hand, everything can be done slightly differently, and there are some things, that just can never be left out!

- I chose this recipe because of how easy it is!

- As an Italian... (and also because I copied Jamie Oliver and realised how easy it was...) when I make dough, I make it on an Italian dough board...even in this vast no-man's land where I live, there is still an IKEA within 2 hours selling these badboys for about 12 Euros... so there is no excuse! (I protected mine with 1 cup 1/3 vinegar 2/3 Olive oil and rubbed into the board all over.... instead of buying a chemical alternative that is more likely to give me stomach ulcers than protect my wood... the vinegar smell goes about 1 hour later)

- The flour should be heaped on the board, and a small hole in the middle where the ingredients are scattered i.e. salt and yeast... try and spread them evenly...

- Luke warm or almost hot water is pretty essential to get the yeast working properly... do not underestimate this!

- This bread is light and fluffy, and despite the heat, doesnt go dry quickly - I have been storing mine outside of the fridge for almost three days now, and it still tastes delicious!

Happy cooking!

My Bread and Butter Recipe!

Ingredients

• 500g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp salt
• 7g sachet fast-action yeast
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 300ml water

Method

1. Mix the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl or on an Italian board. 
2. Make a well in the centre, then add the oil and water, and mix well. If the dough seems a little stiff, add 1-2 tbsp water, mix well then tip onto a lightly floured work surface and knead. 
3. Once the dough is satin-smooth, place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Leave to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size or place in the fridge overnight.
4. Line a baking tray (I used a loaf tin) with baking parchment. Knock back the dough, then gently mould the dough into the desired shape (my was a rectangle).  
5. Place it in the tin to rise for a further hour until doubled in size.
   
6. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Dust the loaf with flour and cut a cross about 6cm long into the top of the loaf with a sharp knife. 
   
7. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. 
8. Cool on a wire rack. and then Eat with Butter!

Delicious!