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
Inspired by traditional Saudi flavours, Chicken Kabsa blends spiced tomato rice and tender chicken into a dish rich in flavour and balance, loved across the Middle East. Sawsan from Chef in Disguise shared a wonderful idea, asking us to cook a rice-based main dish that shows our culture or curiosity for another cuisine. It’s exactly…
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 (Lebanese Flatbread)
Soft, chewy Za’atar Manouche baked to golden perfection and brushed with olive oil for rich, herby flavour. Serve warm and enjoy straight from the oven.
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…
Crespelle Cake with Broccoli
A few months ago, I shared with you the recipe for another Crespelle “cake” made with asparagus and I liked it so much that I decided to make it again using other vegetables. This time, it’s broccoli. I adore broccoli, it is one of my favourite vegetables. I have adapted a classic pairing of Italian cuisine…
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…
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
Bright, zesty, and refreshing, this Fattoush with Sumac Dressing brings together the best of crispy bread, fresh vegetables, and a tangy sumac dressing. Perfect for meal prepping or a quick lunch.
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…
CROISSANTS
In a “celebration” of past Daring Cooks and Daring Bakers challenges, Lisa challenged all of us to search through the Daring Kitchen archives and pick any one we’d like! The REAL challenge was picking which delicious recipe(s) to try! I must confess I was out-of-this-world-happy with this month’s challenge. And so much so as it…
SAFFRON GNOCCHI WITH SAUSAGE AND PORCINI
Todd, who is The Daring Kitchen’s AWESOME webmaster and an amazing cook, is our September Daring Cooks’ host! Todd challenged us to make light and fluffy potato Gnocchi and encouraged us to flavor the lil pillows of goodness and go wild with a sauce to top them with! YESSSSS! I love gnocchi of all sorts,…
MUGHLAI LAMB BIRYANI
Grace, one of our talented non-blogging Daring Kitchen members, was our Daring Cooks’ August hostess who shared with us some of her family’s tried and true Bengali Biryani recipes – all of them delicious and all of them prepared fresh from our own kitchens! The first thing I thought when I saw this month’s challenge was…
SHRIKHAND – श्रीखन्ड
The lovely Cher of The Not So Exciting Adventures of a Dabbler was our July Daring Cooks’ hostess and she asked us to create homemade yogurt in our own kitchens! No incubators needed, no expensive equipment or ingredients, just a few items and we had delicious yogurt for a fraction of the cost and a whole lot…
ALBÓNDIGAS EN SALSA DE ALMENDRAS
The June Daring Cooks’ challenge sure kept us rolling – meatballs, that is! Shelley from C Mom Cook and Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to try meatballs from around the world and to create our own meatball meal celebrating a culture or cuisine of our own choice. Wow! What a great theme!…
BAKED APPLES EN CROÛTE WITH BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE
Our lovely Monkey Queen of Don’t Make Me Call My Flying Monkeys, was our May Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to dive into the world of en Croute! We were encouraged to make Beef Wellington, Stuffed Mushroom en Croute and to bring our kids into the challenge by encouraging them to create their…
