Cookfolio

This is one of the best bean dishes out there. A must try even for non bean lovers! You can always add your own fresh green chillies if you can’t find the green chillies. The cheese is the best addition and really makes the dish.

Ingredients:
4 cups chopped chicken breast
3 jars white beans
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onion
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 small cans of chopped green chillies
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
6 cups chicken stock
3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup sour cream

Method:
Boil chicken and set aside (Troy’s tip:cook chicken in burrito/fajita seasoning pack). Saute onions,spices, add chilies then beans. Add chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Chop chicken and add seasone with salt, pepper & more cayenne as desired. Stir in cheese and sour cream to melt just before serving.

Harissa is a Tunisian hot chilli paste made with sun dried red chilli peppers. Harissa is a condiment that is eaten daily in Tunisia and accompanies almost ever hot meal. I made two versions of harissa this year and it was really easy to do. The chilli peppers are dried in the summer heat on farms and sold on a string at markets all over Tunisia.

Ingredients batch #1:
dried red chilli peppers – 50cm string (no idea how many chilli’s)
head of garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp tabil spice mix
olive oil

* Ingredients batch #2:
dried red chilli peppers – 50cm string
head of garlic
1 tsp salt
1 finely diced onion
½tsp dried coriander
½tsp dried cumin
olive oil

Method:
Soak the red chilli peppers in water for at least one day. Remove the seeds and stems. Be careful when cleaning the peppers as it stings if you touch your eyes etc. Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and add heaps of olive oil. Blend the ingredients to a paste, add more oil if needed. It will keep for weeks in the fridge, I recommend adding a layer of olive oil to keep it from going off.

* Blend 2, fry off the onion in olive oil and add spices towards the end of cooking.

When I was at my best friend’s house as a teenager I could often be found hanging around the kitchen. I have always been fascinated by cooking and cooks and my best friend’s Mother was always trying something tasty! This recipe is one from the Islands where they come from. I also experienced the cooking when I was there with them in the 90’s.

Ingredients:
1 kilo chicken, in pieces
1 medium onion
3 tbsp sunflower oil
1 stem of curry leaves
2 cm cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp fennel seed
3 cloves
5 cardamom pods
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp curry powder
2 cups water
2 stems finely chopped parsley

Method:
Heat the oil, when the oil is hot enough add the fennel seeds, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and wait until golden brown. Next stir in the chopped onion, curry leaves and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the ginger, garlic and chicken pieces and stir well. Add the turmeric, chili and curry powders; let the spices cook to release the flavors. Stir in salt and enough water to just cover the pieces of chicken, put the lid on the pan and cook until the chicken is tender. Serve with white rice and garnish parsley or if you prefer coriander.

Delicious hearty and healthy Moroccan soup, one of our favourites. This recipe is based on a recipe my friend gave me. I had eaten versions of this soup before and never liked it until I tasted her soup. Now I make this at home and I have adapted it slightly to my own taste, feel free to do the same.

Ingredients:
4 tbsp olive oil
2 onions finely chopped
half a hand of chickpeas
100 gr beef, chopped into tiny pieces
2 celery stems
¼ tsp ground ginger
half of cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground paprika
2 tsp ground tabil spice mix
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp tsp turmeric (or a couple of saffron threads)
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp tomato paste
½ lentils
2 tomatoes chopped
½ packet tomato soup
1 liter water
¼ cup of rice (or vermicelli)
fresh coriander & parsley
1 lemon

Method:
In a large pan, heat the oil and add the finely chopped onion to sweat off. Add the beef pieces and brown off the meat.
At this point add the chick peas, ginger and cinnamon stick and chopped celery, cook for 5 minutes on a medium high.

Next is to add the paprika, tabil mix and salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir in the tomato paste and let it cook for a couple of minutes, this will make it less bitter. Add water and bring to the boil, turn to a medium heat and cook for at least 40 minutes.

Stir in the packet of soup and add turmeric, tomatoes, lentils and rice. If the consistency of the soup is too thick add additional water. Cook on a medium heat until rice and lentils are soft. Five minutes before serving add the finely chopped coriander and parsley.

Serve this sumptious soup in deep bowls while it is still pipig hot. Cut the lemon into wedges for , this will so that the everyone itself can bring soup on taste. Possibly this soup can be served as a head Court with bread & a green salad, absolutely delicious!