Colcannon a Traditional Irish Potato Recipe

16/03/201405/04/2014 Moya4 Comments

Colcannon is a traditional Irish recipe consisting of creamy mashed potatoes with kale (or cabbage), this simple side dish is both hearty and comforting… but oh-so tasty. Finding locally grown Kale at the farmers market here in Bahrain (and some supermarkets), makes this colcannon even tastier. Kale is a nutritious leafy green which belongs to the Brassica family that includes the vegetables broccoli, brussels sprouts and collard. Have you ever made Kale chips? Kale chips are the trend and if you would like to make them, Smitten Kitchen shares her recipe. Continue reading “Colcannon a Traditional Irish Potato Recipe” →

Homemade Vegetable Stock and an iPhone Food-photography Challenge

09/03/201427/04/2014 Moya8 Comments

Stocks are the foundation of many sauces, soups and other dishes and there are times when I prefer to use a homemade stock instead of stock cubes. Making vegetable stock is so easy and with only a bit of washing, peeling (or not) and chopping to do, a pot of vegetable stock will be simmering on your stove top in a matter of minutes. Of course, I wouldn’t be without my handy stash of stock cubes either, which sit next to the stove in a little box.

With homemade stock, you control the flavor, seasoning and intensity and it’s a good idea to double the recipe and store some stock in the freeze for another time. I mostly freeze chicken and turkey stock as they take longer to make. Continue reading “Homemade Vegetable Stock and an iPhone Food-photography Challenge” →

desserts · drinks

Affogato – Vanilla Ice Cream with Espresso

02/03/201407/03/2014 Moya2 Comments

Some weeks back I was given an Nespresso machine as a birthday gift 🙂 and when I opened the box I was hoping George Clooney might have made a surprise appearance… I think he may have been a bit busy! But like George Clooney in the advertisement for Nespresso… ice cream and coffee are perfect partners in the culinary world. I am soooo in “coffee love” with my Nespresso machine, which are effortless to use. At the Nespresso store in Bahrain’s City Center Mall, you can try samples of the coffee before buying, very helpful when choosing your favorites.

Affogato is a classic Italian dessert which consists of a scoop of vanilla ice cream drowned in a shot of hot espresso. The contrast in the hot and cold, sweet and bitter makes this dessert very pleasurable to eat. Affogato makes a wonderful after dinner dessert, combining dessert and coffee into one. Of course you don’t have to limit yourself to having this simple treat at dinner parties… I don’t. If you want a coffee flavored ice cream… have an Affogato… it’s that simple.