For the month of December Jenni from The Gingered Whisk challenged us to make our own condiments. Ketchup, Mayo, hot sauce… nothing is too challenging for the daring cooks. Ah condiments! Growing up in Italy, I never really used/ate any of them, apart from Mayo and Ketchup. They are not really part of Italian cuisine, but…
Onion Pakoras
Vimala was our host for the November Daring Cooks challenge and she invited us to try our hands at some Indian snacks and treats. What amazing timing… as Indians have just celebrated Diwali – the festival of lights. I am very happy to share with all of you the recipe for one of my favourite Indian…
Chicken Kabsa
For the month of October, Sawsan from Chef in Disguise challenged us to prepare a rice based main meal that represents our own culture, or one from a cuisine that we would like to explore. Now that’s the kind of Daring Cooks challenge I like! I love rice actually. At first I thought of making risotto,…
Griwech
Kouky from “Cuisine à 4 mains”, challenged us to make Griwech, a popular Algerian dessert that is a full flavoured delicacy that has both a melt-in-the-mouth and a crispy texture. Ohhhh this month’s Daring Cooks challenge was GOOD. As Kouky says: “Griwech is an Algerian pastry prepared with a thinly flattened dough, shaped in different…
Bruschetta with Eggplant and Matarocco
With summer just around the corner, ML Spell from Dry Spell invited us to play with fire! She challenged us to make some mouthwatering eats on the grill for the June daring cooks challenge. Well, as you are probably aware, I live in Australia and even though the weather is usually not extremely cold,…
Sooji Halwa – Rava Sheera
For the March Daring Cooks’ challenge, Ruth from Makey Cakey invited us to start the day with something filling, warm and nutritious. We got to experiment with different techniques and flavorings to create our own perfect personal porridge. As I said in my previous post about Sooji Kheer (an Indian semolina porridge), I am no porridge expert……
Sooji Kheer – Rava Payasam
For the March Daring Cooks’ challenge, Ruth from Makey Cakey invited us to start the day with something filling, warm and nutritious. We got to experiment with different techniques and flavorings to create our own perfect personal porridge. Porridge? Mmmm… I have a confession to make. I have never ever eaten (or made) porridge in my whole…
Moroccan Mint Tea
I love Moroccan Mint Tea, so it was the first thing I chose to prepare for my Daring Cooks’ Middle Eastern Breakfast. It traditionally hails from the Maghreb region (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia), but it has now spread throughout the Arab world. It is more like a “social drink” served to guests and I would…
Za’atar Manouche
Manouche, also known as Manakish, is a popular Levantine bread topped with a thyme mixture (Za’atar), cheese, or ground meat. It is similar to a pizza and it can be sliced or folded. It is often served for breakfast, which makes this bread perfect for the Middle Eastern breakfast I had to prepare for this…
Ful Medames
I made this dish for the Middle Eastern breakfast we were asked to prepare for this month’s Daring Cooks challenge. Ful Medames is an Egyptian dish made with cooked and mashed fava beans, tomatoes, tahini, lemon juice, fresh coriander leaves, spring onions and extra virgin olive oil. It is a staple meal in Egypt, but…
Middle Eastern Breakfast
For the February Daring Cooks challenge, Manal from Manal’s Bites invited us to celebrate the most important meal of the day Middle Eastern style! As Manal says “Breakfast is a very important meal in the Middle East; it is major! […] Fridays, the first day of the weekend here in this part of the world is the…
Cheese Bitterballen
The October Daring Cooks’ Challenge was brought to us by Andrea from 4pure. She introduced us to one of her family favorites which is soon to become one of yours, too. Welcome to the world of Dutch Bitterballen! Oh that sounded intriguing! I love discovering new dishes and this one sounded particularly yummy and… exotic. But…
Passion fruit Béarnaise Sauce
This month, the Daring Cooks got a little saucy! Jenni from the Gingered Whisk taught us the basics of how to make the five mother-sauces and encouraged us to get creative with them, creating a wide variety of delicious, fresh sauces in our very own kitchens. I was really thrilled by this challenge! I make some sauces…
Gnocchi alla Romana
This month, the Daring Cooks challenged us to think inside the box – the icebox, that is! Audax taught us some really cool tips and tricks for stocking our freezers with prepare-ahead meals that can keep our taste buds satisfied even during the busiest of times. It is back to school time for many families in the…
Bibimbap
The July Daring Cooks‘ Challenge took us to Korea, where Renata of Testado, Provado & Aprovado taught us to make bibimbap. This colorful rice dish can be customized to meet any taste, and is as much fun to eat as it is to say! Bibimbap (비빔밥), which literally means “mixed rice”, is one of Korea’s most…
Maftoul with Chicken
The May Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by the incomparable Sawsan from Chef in Disguise. Sawsan challenged us to try our hands (literally!) at making maftoul – hand-rolled Palestinian couscous that is as versatile as it is tasty! Wow was the only word that I could utter when I saw this month’s challenge! I love Sawsan’s…
Crespelle Cake with Asparagus
The April Daring Cooks Challenge was brought to us by Joanna from What’s On The List. She taught us all about Pathiri and challenged us to create our own version of this inspirational Indian dish! Mmmm I know what you are thinking… “crespelle cake with asparagus” doesn’t sound very Indian. And it isn’t. Actually, Joanna…
Fattoush with Sumac Dressing
For March’s Daring Cooks’ Challenge, Ruth, Shelley and Sawsan asked us to totally veg out! We made salads and dressings, letting the sky be the limit as we created new flavors and combinations that reflect our own unique tastes. Ohhhh yesss! That’s exactly what went through my mind when I read about the challenge! It…
Spanakopita
The February Daring Cooks‘ Challenge was hosted by Audax of Audax Artifex. The challenge brought us to Greece with a delicious, flaky spanakopita – a spinach pie in a phyllo pastry shell. Oh Greek food, how I love thee! I think the fact that Italians and Greeks share a sea and lots of history, has…
ARANCINE WITH SPINACH
If you have read my latest post, you will know that I am hosting this month’s challenge at the Daring Cooks! I chose to challenge my fellow daring cooks to make Arancine from scratch, including risotto! I also shared 3 different recipes with them: Arancine al Ragu’, Arancine al Burro and Arancine agli Spinaci. The…
THE DARING COOKS’ JANUARY 2014 CHALLENGE: ARANCINE
This month’s challenge is very special for a few reasons. For starters, our hostess, Manu, graciously stepped in with very little notice and created an entire amazing challenge in pretty much no time at all. Secondly, Manu managed to do all of this while publishing her very first e-cookbook. Seriously, you simply must check it…
CABBAGE ROLLS
November’s Daring Cooks’ Challenge had us on a roll! Olga from Effortless Lessly challenged us to make stuffed cabbage rolls using her Ukrainian heritage to inspire us. Filled with meat, fish or vegetables, flexibility and creativity were the name of the game to get us rolling! This was the first Daring Cooks challenge I took…
