A FABULOUS EVENT BY FAME CO - PASTRY LIVE AND BEYOND IV

Last Saturday on on 26th November, we attended FAME Co's live pastry demo, 'Pastry Live & Beyond IV, at the Dasman Ballroom in Radisson SAS hotel. The annual 'Haute Couture' demonstration event was organized by Sophie Parou, CEO of FAME - France and Middle East Company.

The art of making pastry, chocolate and baking is amazing, delectable, fulfilling and joyful affair. However there is quite a bit of science, intricate techniques and virtuosity behind the divine taste and impressive suave appearance of these pastries. The live demo was presented by three famous France accredited chefs. French Chef Benoit Visbecq specializing in restaurant desserts, petits flours, banqueting and entrements ;  French Chef Omar Addihaoui,  known for his artistic prowess  in wedding and designer cakes; UK and France accredited Kuwaiti Chef  Sadeeqa from the famed Dar Hamad Restaurant showcased French pastries and desserts with a middle eastern twist imbibing Kuwaiti flavors infusing subtle spices.

As a pastry enthusiast, I enjoyed the demo  as I watched the chefs passionately work with their adept hands creating these elegant and alluring pastries, desserts and chocolates as they explained the process of making them. 

The Dasman Hall was packed with an enthusiastic audience. The event was followed by a cocktail evening for the attendees. All the beautiful work by the three chefs were displayed outside the Dasman hall for viewing. 

The objective of the event was to introduce FAME Co products which feature food materials, varied items, ingredients, decorations, everything that is used for making pastry, baking and chocolates and much more. They provide home deliveries for orders placed. FAME Co. conducts pastry classes as well. You can click below to check out their website, facebook and instagram for their products and details

Website

Facebook

Instagram

TASTE OF THE WORLD - COOKERY COMPETITION AND LIVE COOKING DEMOS AT LULU HYPERMARKET

Lulu Hypermarket will launch Taste of the World promotion for customers and food lovers. The promotion will feature cookery competition in Rai outlet. Beside that, a series of live cooking of cuisines from around the world will be presented  in Rai, Qurain and Dajeej outlets that includes Arabic, Italian, Chinese, Continental, Filipino, Japanese, Indian and Thai food. The event officially begins from 23 April until 3 May, with cookery competitions in a variety of categories starting from today 19 April. 

For details and entry forms, daily events and timings visit Lulu's website, see link. 

*The daily events, location and timings are mentioned in the entry forms on the link.

Inauguration: By celebrity Master Chef Ritudaman Handa, 5.30 pm, Wednesday 23 April, 2014

Tel : Lulu - Al Rai 24759333, Lulu - Qurain 22258300

PASTA WITH CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES

These days I have been sleeping a lot. When I woke up at noon yesterday, I didn't have much time to cook. My daughter told me she loves cooking and she finds it relaxing to return from work and make something healthy and quick without having to hang around in the kitchen too long. She had made pasta with veggies and chicken, the first day we arrived in Birmingham and we had loved it.  I thought, why not make some pasta. Lucky me, I had lots of vegetables in the fridge and some left over chicken. And I had just bought fresh broccoli from the Farmer's market in Sultan Center at Sharq Mall on Wednesday. 

Here's my recipe which tastes different from my daughter's. I don't know what sauces and secret ingredients she added that made her pasta taste heavenly. When I asked her yesterday, she laughed, saying, 'I just add whatever is there and make something quick'. 

Ingredients:

Pasta 

boiled chicken (cut into small pieces)

broccoli

carrot cut into thin strips

french beans cut thin and long

mushroom (preferably fresh and not canned)

tomatoes

* Celery

* Red bell pepper (capsicum)

mixed Italian herbs

Tomato sauce, tomato puree

onions

garlic

olive oil ( I used extra virgin olive oil)

green chilli sauce or crushed green chilli mixed in bit vinegar and olive oil

red chilli flakes (dont over do it - just add the right amount to your taste)

salt

pepper

** Add your own seasoning of spice powders for zest and zing

*** While serving, add grated parmesan cheese on top if you like 

Boil the pasta with salt and bit of olive oil in plenty of water. Drain and wash with cold water, so they turn sticky. Heat a large sauce pan, add some olive oil, when it turns warm, add your veggies and stir fry - dont over cook them. Veggies should be crisp. * You can add celery and red pepper as well ( like my daughter did), but I didn't have those at the time I made pasta. I cooked the mushrooms separately, as it requires a bit more cooking time. Keep aside. Heat the same pan again, add olive oil, chopped onions and garlic, saute. Add tomatoes and saute. Add the tomato puree and some water and let cook, add the green chilli sauce (or crushed green chillies in vinegar and olive oil), salt and pepper, saute till the raw taste of tomato puree disappears and the sauce would begin to taste yummy. It shouldnt be dry. Add bit of water to make it thick and saucy. Add cooked chicken pieces and the stir fried vegetables, and mushroom. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the red chilli flakes. Add pasta and stir. Or serve the pasta sauce with chicken and vegetables on a bed of pasta.  It tastes great. ** You can add your own creative seasoning to add zing and zest to your pasta.

Here's my Pasta with chicken and vegetables - light, healthy, tasty and something you can prepare quick when you don't have much time

Now this pasta is what my daughter prepared on the first day we visited her in UK.  I clicked this picture when I was half way through !

BELL PEPPERS (CAPSICUM) STUFFED WITH RICE AND VEGETABLES

I saw these absolutely fresh green attractive bell peppers (capsicum) while I was at Lulu Hypermarket in Qurain and I just had to pick them. They were so inviting. Bell peppers are totally nutritious for health.  I made something I totally love -Bell pepper stuffed with rice, vegetables, drizzled with home made salsa sauce, topped it with shredded mozerella cheese and baked it in the oven.  They turned out tasting great.

LAMB CHOPS

We both love lamb chops. It's not always that I would make lamb chops because red meat is not recommended for health reasons, especially if you are trying to eat healthy. But once in a while, we totally devour lamb chops. I picked up fresh lamb chops from Geant and applied my very own marinade, left it overnight in the fridge and next day, roasted it in the oven. Came out heavenly!.

Marinade  for 1/4 to 1/2  kg lamp chops (adjust the spice powders according to your requirement)

red paprika or kashmiri chilli powder 1 to  1 1/2 tsp

turmeric - 1/2 tsp

all spice powder (mix of clove, cinamon, cardamon) - 1 tsp

coriander powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp

vinegar or lemon - 4 tsp

yoghurt (non sour) - 1 tablespoon

pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

salt (how you like it)

Mix the marinade well, apply on lamb chops and kept it refrigerated for 12 to 24 hours, next day, roast it at 190 degrees in the oven,  for 45 minutes or however long it might take to cook. Enjoy!  

HEALTHY BREAKFAST - CHICK PEAS AND BELL PEPPERS

A very easy to make healthy breakfast. Boil chickpeas (or use canned ones). Add finely chopped red and green bell pepper, some lemon juice and salt. Add finely chopped cilantro if you wish. There you go...a healthy breakfast is ready to give you the nourishment,  energy, vitamins and minerals you need to kick start your day. You can even have an orange prior to having this breakfast, to make you feel totally energised.

UPCOMING EVENTS AT CARLUCCIO'S

Be geared for two very interesting upcoming events organized by CARLUCCIO'S Restaurant in Avenues Phase I.

* Friday November 18 at 7pm - A special 3 course dinner comprising of appetizers, followed by a menu of Italian specialities from Piedmonte region of Italy. Charges K.D. 12 per person.

* Saturday November 19 - Cooking Class demonstrating dishes from Piedmonte. Besides learning how to make these dishes, you will get to taste the traditional flavours from the South and you will also be given a good bag of products to take home.  Charges K.D. 9 per person (includes a sumptuous breakfast).

For more information and details contact Carluccio's at 22597310

Click on picture to enlarge.

MEN CAN COOK

I am always intrigued by men who actually go to the kitchen and take the effort and interest to cook. Well with all due respect for women, most of the hotel and restaurant chefs around the world are men, right? So, there is no doubt men do make fantastic cooks. Some of the male relatives from my mother's side of the family can cook great food. Well, I guess if you are really interested in cooking or anything, you would do it. You know what, I wish husbands would once in a while pamper their wives with some cooking. What do you say ladies?

My son had got a bit tired of the canteen food at University last year and he tried a hand at cooking and now he enjoys it and now he cooks different kinds of food. He is a graduate student doing his M.S. in Alternate Energy Technology engineering in Michigan, USA. Amidst his tight schedule, he finds time to cook for himself, a great healthy alternative to canteen food. The other day, he send me two pictures of the 'Chicken tikka' he baked/grilled in the oven and yoghurt drink called 'Lassi'. And here it is! Yummy! Wish I could taste it.....(definitely during my next visit!). My daughter is a good cook too, I should ask her if she could take pictures of anything interesting she makes.

MINT AND COCONUT RICE

My very own Mint and coconut recipe

This is very easy to make and tastes really good. Rice flavoured with freshly chopped mint and fresh coconut scrapings make this a very enjoyable dish.

Ingredients:
* 2 cups of cooked basmati or any long grain rice (cooked with salt)
* 1 tablespoon of finely chopped mint leaves (about 10 to 12 mint leaves)
* Green cardamon 2, cloves 2, cinamon stick 1/2 inch, Dried bay leaves 2, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds(Cumin seeds   and bay leaves are optional, only if you like the flavour of cumin, you add them

* Fresh Coconut shavings or grated 2 to 3 heaped tablespoon

* 1 tablespoon or 3/4 tablespoon butter.

(Increase the mint, coconut and dry spices in proportion to the rice)

Cook rice in a large quantity of water and drain the water. Add salt to taste while cooking rice. Keep rice aside to cool. Take a large saucepan, add a tablespoon of butter and let it heat on medium fire. Don't let it smoke. Add the cumin seeds, let it splutter gently (optional). Add the the rest of the spices. Stir, add the cooked rice and finely chopped mint leaves. At this point, reduce the fire to minimum. Stir gently without mashing the rice. Put off the fire. Add the grated coconut (or coconut shavings). Stir gently again. Enjoy this rich dish with vegetables or chicken or shrimp dish. Due to time constraint after making a late lunch, I couldn't make it look more presentable, so do excuse me for the 'presentation'. You can always decorate with sliced or grated carrots. Let your imagination run and make an artistic impression if you are going to serve this for guests.

Note : It's advisable not to use desiccated or dried grated coconut. Fresh coconut will taste a lot better. Freshly grated coconut is available at Lulu Hypermarket Qurain, at a small  counter near the 'Take away Food Section'. You can buy a small quantity of freshly grated coconut shavings from there. Freeze it and thaw required quantity 20 to 30 minutes before you use it in the Mint and Coconut rice. If you don't know what to do with remaining coconut shavings, keep it frozen; you can grind a small quanity of 2 tablespoon and add them to your meat, chicken or vegetable curry dishes.