Tomato Soup

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Eat-O-Live

One of my favorite soups for the winter is tomato soup. It is perfect for lunch or to have a starter for dinner.DSC00920DSC00914

Ingredients:

6 Tomatoes

A Can of Whole Pealed Tomatoes

1 1/4 Cups of Chicken Stock

Diced Onion

Diced Garlic

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Croutons

Cheese (I used gouda.)

How To Prepare:

Pre-heat the oven to 425F/215C.

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Cut the fresh tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet.

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Sprinkle some olive oil, salt and pepper on the tomatoes and roast in the oven for 25 minutes.

DSC00880DSC00890Put the croutons in another baking sheet with olive oil and shred some cheese on top of them.

Bake in the oven on 425 for 15 minutes.

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Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and cook the onion for 8 minutes.

Then add the diced garlic and cook for one minute.

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Add the canned whole tomatoes with the chicken stock and fresh basil and bring to a boil.

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Once it starts to boil, simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove the basil and add the roasted tomatoes to the pot and let it simmer for five more minutes.

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Using the immersion blender, blend the tomatoes after turning off the flame until all is creamy.

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Strain the tomato soup then put the strained liquid in the pot and season with pepper and a generous amount of salt and let cook for one more minute.

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Serve the tomato soup with the cheesy croutons.

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Posted in Soup | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Zeppole (Egg Batter Puffs)

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Eat-O-Live

I was in the mood for something sweet tonight. I wanted something different than chocolate and candies. I remembered my mom’s quick solution for craving homemade sweets. I actually didn’t know that it was the same recipe for Zeppole before I came to the US. We always called it Egg Batter Puffs. DSC00868

Ingredients:

5 Eggs

5 Tbsp of All Purpose Flour

1/4 Tsp of Vanilla Extract

Butter

Vegetable Oil

One cup of Sugar

1/2 Cup of Water

1/4 tsp of Lemon Juice

How to Prepare:

Start by preparing the sugar syrup.

Mix the sugar and water and bring to a boil.

Once it starts to thicken, add the lemon juice and turn off the flame.

Put on the side to cool down.

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Beat the eggs and mix with the flour and vanilla until it is creamy.

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Heat one stick of butter with some vegetable oil then using a small spoon, pour a little of the mixture and deep fry until it is golden and fluffy.

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Take the fried Zeppoles and dip into the sugar syrup before serving.

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DSC00865ENJOY!

Posted in Sweets | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Vegetable Lasagna

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Eat-O-Live

I am a meat person. When the in-laws came to visit, they wanted to try vegetable lasagna. It was a great dish and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.DSC00767

Ingredients:

Lasagna Sheets

Sliced Eggplants

Spinach

Shredded Mozzarella

Shredded Cheddar

Tomatoes

Diced Garlic

Basil

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

How to Prepare:

Start preparing the Marinara sauce by crushing the tomatoes then heating one tablespoon of olive oil and fry the garlic until light gold, then add the tomato sauce with a dash of salt and pepper and basil.

Cook on slow heat until the sauce gets thick for about 30 to 40 minutes.

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Boil the lasagna for about 10 minutes with some salt and olive oil to prevent from sticking.

In an oven sheet, cover the bottom with marinara sauce.

DSC00720Place a layer of the lasagna sheets over the sauce.

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Add another layer of marinara sauce, then top with sliced eggplants.

Top with some mozzarella cheese.

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Put another layer of the lasagna sheets and marinara sauce.

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Put a layer of spinach and and some shredded cheddar.

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DSC00738DSC00733Add another layer of lasagna and this time mix some eggplants, spinach, and both cheeses.

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Repeat until all the materials are finished.

Put the last layer of lasagna and top with the marinara sauce and cheese.

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DSC00750Cover the oven sheet with foil then bake at 350F/175C for 50 minutes.

After 50 minutes remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

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Posted in Pasta, Vegetables | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Yogurt Cheese Fatayer (Pies)

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Eat-O-Live

A very light and delicious dish you can prepare easily at home and serve as an appetizer or side dish. I will post later how to make the yogurt cheese for the filling. 

DSC00703DSC00705Ingredients:

Yogurt Cheese

Diced Onion

One Cup of Flour

Half Cup of Water

2 tbsp of Vegetable Oil 

Salt and Pepper

Frying Oil

How to Prepare:

Prepare your dough by mixing the flour, vegetable oil, salt and warm water, then kneed the mixture until it forms a dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

For the filling, mix the yogurt cheese, diced onion, salt and pepper.

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Take a small piece of the dough and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough (put some flour on the rolling pin and surface so the dough does not stick) in a circular shape – about two inches in circumference.

Take one tablespoon of the cheese mixture and place in the middle of the dough.

Wrap the dough around the cheese mixture in a “triangle shape.”

Repeat this until all of the materials are finished.

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Separate with cling wrap to prevent from sticking together.

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Heat some frying oil to deep fry the triangles until they are golden.

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Posted in Appetizers, Side Dish | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

The Art of Beef Stew

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Eat-O-Live

Another way to make a super delicious beef stew. This dish is perfect to have after being out during a cold winter’s day.

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Ingredients:

1 Pound of Beef Stew Meat

4 Carrots

Mushrooms

1 Medium Onion

5 Garlic 

Rosemary

Salt and Pepper

Half Cup of Stock

Half Cup of Wine

Half Cup of  Tomato Puree

How to Prepare:

Preheat the oven to 160C/300F.

Heat a pot on medium high heat, add some oil, sear the meat, around 1 minute for each side. The pot should be hot otherwise the meat will boil and not sear.

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Cut the onion into strips, peel garlic and slice it, cut the carrots and the mushrooms.

IMG_1512Remove the oil from the pot but do not wash it.

Lower the heat and add the onion and the garlic, after 2 minutes, add the carrots, mushrooms, salt, pepper, rosemary. sauté the vegetable.

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Put the vegetables and the meat on an oven dish.

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In the same pot, add 1 table spoon of butter, white wine, stock, tomato puree and bring to a boil. Once boiled, pour them on the mix.

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Cover the dish with foil and put in the oven for at least 2 hours.

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Check the meat after 2 hours and see if it needs more time, it may take up to 4 hours.

Serve with rice,  potatoes, or bread.

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Posted in Meat, Stew | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

How to Make Tomato Sauce?

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Eat-O-Live

I use the tomato sauce for meatballs, Pizza, Mohammara dip and other recipes. I love using fresh tomato sauce that I prepare at home instead of buying canned.

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Ingredients:

Tomatoes

Water

How to Prepare:

Place the tomatoes in a pot with cold water.

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Bring the water to a boil for about 5 to 7 minutes.

The tomatoes will have cracks in their skin.

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Peel the tomatoe skin and crush.

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TIP: You can put in the fridge for a day or two and in the freezer for a couple of weeks.

Posted in Dip, How to? | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Chicken Eggplants

Posted on February 9, 2013 by Eat-O-Live

This is a very Syrian dish. Easy, quick and tasty. I bet some Syrians who are overseas and see this post will drool :).DSC00627

Ingredients:

Chicken (I used drumsticks and wings.)

Eggplants

Diced Onion

Butter

Vegetable Oil

Salt and Pepper

How to Prepare:

Deep fry the chicken.

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Peel the eggplants and cut them in cubes.

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Heat 4 tbsp of butter and then add the diced onion and cook until golden brown.

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Add the eggplant cubes and fried chicken pieces to the onion and flip them with some salt and pepper until all mixed together.

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Flip them every now and then on a low heat until the eggplant is soft and well cooked.

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Serve with some sweet bell pepper.

Posted in Chicken, Vegetables | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

How to Make Omelette in a Stainless Steel Pan?

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Eat-O-Live

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Ingredients:

3 Eggs 

2 Tbsp of Butter 

Salt and Pepper 

Graded Cheese (I used Gouda.) 

How to Prepare:

Heat the pan on medium, low heat for a few minutes, you want it to be hot but not too hot.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a small bowl with salt and pepper.

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Add the butter to the pan, after it melts, pour the eggs.

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Start to move the sides to the center and tilt the pan so it spreads out. When its 80 % done, put the cheeses in the middle and, using a spatula, fold it over in half.   Leave it for a minute in the pan and then put it on a plate.

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IMG_1295 IMG_1297You can add spinach, onion, bacon or anything you want with the cheese.

Bon Appétit!

Posted in Breakfast | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

How to??

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Eat-O-Live

question-markI will start a new page on how to do simple stuff that might seem easy but are essential to make a meal.How do I make tomato sauce?  How many minutes should I boil an egg for?

When I first moved to Dubai I didn’t know how to cook. I actually didn’t know how to make anything at all. I was so happy moving to a new country and working that I found myself not wanting to eat out everyday after work. I was calling my mom more often to ask her about recipes that I can prepare at home. Many times she gave me ideas but I found myself calling again to ask for the smallest details that she assumed I knew but in reality, I had no clue how to do anything. I soon figured out how to take care of the small details that make a great meal especially after I found my passion for cooking.

So, I will soon be publishing new blog posts on how to make sauces, different kinds of dough, decorating baked goods, making different kinds of soup and many more.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

Quail Scotch Eggs

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Eat-O-Live

I previously introduced you to the Chicken – Egg Ball recipe with chicken breast and chicken eggs, so today I will introduce you to Beef-Egg Ball with quail eggs and ground beef.

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Ingredients:

300 grams of Ground Beef 

15 quail eggs 

Salt and Pepper

Rosemary

Butter 

How to Prepare:

Bring water to a boil then add the quail eggs for 2 minutes if you want the yolk to be runny and 3 mins for a well done yolk.

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After cooling the eggs, peel them.

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Put the meat in a bowl and mix with salt, pepper and rosemary until they stick all together.

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Form 2 big balls with all of the meat.

Cut a ziplock bag and put the meat ball between the 2 sides, smash it with your hand or use a hammer.

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Take a rectangle piece about 5cm width and 3 cm hight, put the egg in the middle and stick the edges together then roll the sides and shape a ball (leave a bowl of water near, to wet the hand so often).

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Fry the meat balls in some vegetable oil on a medium high heat, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

TIP: You can dip the meat balls in eggs and flour before frying for more crispiness.

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Serve with honey mustard dip (2 tablespoons of mustard with 1 tablespoon of honey).

Posted in Meat | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment