Archive | June, 2011

Maroush

27 Jun

Multicultural Cuisine of…

Lebanon

Maroush
1092 Main Rd,
Eltham
(03) 9439 5665
Visit Website

With the plethora of delicious and diverse cuisines available it the Melbourne CBD and surrounds, it’s so easy to forget about your own backyard. Which is exactly what Sous-Jeff and I have done. There’s this restaurant that we drive past a dozen times a week, which we’ve been invited to for dinner before but didn’t make it, that we’re um-ed and ahh-ed over for years – you know that restaurant? We all have one. Maroush was ours. Until Saturday night – we decided to finally give it a shot. We decided to book a table, just in case, even though we didn’t think it’d be all that busy, because it was just a local little restaurant. Wrong. It was darn lucky we did book, because it was packed! The car park was full when we arrived at 7pm, with the 50m either side of the restaurant lined with parked cars too. Awesome, we think, it must be good it it’s this busy!

We ascend the tiled steps and make our way through the big, wrought iron gates, and past a big, terracotta coin fountain. We make our way through the front door and almost walk into the front counter/kitchen area. The restaurant is divided into two seemingly identical sections, one to the right of the kitchen, the other to the left. We are led around to the right hand side, and seated on a table below some beautiful, huge, golden engraved discs.

Directly opposite us is a large mirror, framed with Lebanese knick knacks and a painted mural on the wall behind my seat.

But enough of the view, time for the food! Neither Sous-Jeff or I had eaten Lebanese before, and were a little scared of what the food might be like… we really, honestly had no idea what to expect! So, what better way to try it than to go with the banquet?! The lovely waitress we had was fantastic – she knew the menu like the back of her hand and explained every dish (all 14 of them!) succinctly and simply.

First out for our entrees was a trio of dips with warm pita bread and also fried pita bread.

We had Hommos, which was nutty, meaty, grainy and earthy – it tasted like real chickpeas, and was absolutely perfect!

Hommos

Baba Ghannouj, which was perfectly silky smooth, and had the most beautiful smokey flavour which was perfectly married with the eggplant.

Baba Ghannouj

Lastly in our trio was the tabouli – lemony and zesty, perfect to refresh our mouths in between what was to come!

Tabouli

Next out were the falafels, a spicy mix of beans, vegetables and herbs, made in meatball form (which were just a little too spicy for me!) with a beautifully smooth tahini sauce which had a great lemon flavour. Unfortunately, there was one grumpy waiter in the whole place, and he happened to be the one who brought out this dish to us, plonked silently and unceremoniously on the table, and off he stomped to the next customers. Sous-Jeff loved the falafels, being the spice fiend he is, and was surprised that a vegetarian, gluten free dish was so delicious!

Falafel with tahini sauce

Meat Cigars

Along with the meat cigars came with Sambousik – fetta cheese with onion and mixed herbs, wrapped in filo pastry again. This was one of my favourites, I loved the creaminess of the fetta, which wasn’t overly salty, contrasted with the perfectly crisp pastry.

Sambousik

Then, out comes the Makanek, which are grilled lamb sausages with lemon juice and sumac, which were very tender and tasty.

Makanek

And they were followed by the Ors Kafta – grilled lamb patties with onion and fresh parsley. They were perfectly cooked and tasted beautiful with fresh lemon squeezed over them.

Ors Kafta

With our entrees done (yes, all of that was just the entrees!), the waitress clears out table and tells us she’ll give us a few minutes to digest before bringing out our mains. We nod appreciatively. 10 minutes or so later, out come the mains. It’s a smaller version of the standard sized main (thankfully!), and we get a beautiful platter of Shish Tawook and Shish Kabab on different rices, and a little side of salad with a garlic and lemon dressing.

Right: Chicken Shish Tawook on almond rice. Left: Lamb Shish Kabab on saffron rice
Side salad

We tried the Shish Kabab first, which was the marinated lamb on skewers, served on a saffron rice. I must admit, I’m not really a lamb eater (hence why we went for the lamb first) and was quite apprehensive at the sight of the menu with all of the lamb… but it was all cooked magnificently and I probably would eat lamb more often if it was always done so well! It was very soft and tender, and the saffron rice was beautifully flavoured – they went together so well that I left my last few bites of rice and lamb to eat after the chicken (I like to finish on a high note!).

Shish Kabab on saffron rice

We tried the chicken next, the Shish Tawook (marinated in garlic and lemon juice), and it was also very soft and tender, but, and I can’t believe I’m typing this, but I actually enjoyed the lamb more! I wasn’t a fan of the almond rice as it was laced with cinnamon (and I’m just not a fan of cinnamon), but Sous-Jeff quite enjoyed it.

Shish Tawook on almond rice
With our mains finished and bellies full, our plates were once again cleared and we were given another 10 minute reprieve, before dessert was served. We were given a small platter of Turkish Delight, Baklava and Mahalabia. Neither Sous-Jeff nor I are particularly fond of Turkish Delight, but in the name of trying anything once, we give it a crack. It’s ok, but not really our cup of tea, so hard to say how good it was, sorry!
Turkish Delight

The Mahalabia was a traditional Lebanese custard, topped with honey syrup, pistachios and blossom water. The first flavour to hit my taste buds was the lavendar flavour of the blossom water, which was incredibly sweet. The custard itself was beautiful, and reminded me a little of panna cotta. Sous-Jeff absolutely loved this, and actually ate half of mine. I traded him for his bit of baklava.

Mahalabi

I’ve saved the best (in my opinion, anyway!) until last. I’ve never had Lebanese Baklava before, and was a little worried that they may have snuck some cinnamon in it, which would have rendered it uneatable for me… but alas, my dessert prayers were answered, and it was absolutely perfection. Layers of crispy, golden filo pastry with assorted crushed nuts and the most beautifully sweet honey syrup. The flavours were perfectly balanced and it was absolutely magnificent. I begged Sous-Jeff to let me buy a $5.00 take away/take home pack, but to no avail. Will definitely be going back for some more soon though!

Baklava

With dessert eaten, we shuffled out of our seats, barely able to move we were so full. That enormous banquet came to a total cost of $42.00 each, which we felt was absolutely fantastic value for money. The food was all beautifully prepared and very delicious. We were very pleasantly surprised after initially going in quite hesitant, and we certainly plan on dining there again. Unfortunately, we were met with the grumpy waiter on our way out, but other than that, the staff were friendly and well organised and efficient, considering how busy they were.

 

Would rate it 8 out of 10.

How many of you have gone into a dining experience full of hesitation, only to be very pleasantly surprised?


Maroush Restaurant (Lebanese) on Urbanspoon

Cooking Class Sneak Preview!

27 Jun

Multicultural Inspiration from…

Italy


 

For those of you who don’t know, I’m about to embark on a new and exciting adventure – teaching my very own cooking classes!!! I’m soooo excited to be teaming up with the lovely Agata from Amore Cucina to bring some of my favourite dishes to others! I’ll be teaching a lot of Italian home cooking, as well as some Spanish food, and lots of sweets and desserts.

 

I’ll be teaching my very first classes in a few weeks, on July 30th and 31st – “Italian Christmas Cooking,” where I’ll be teaching you how to add a little Italian to your Christmas lunch, with antipasti, mains and of course, desserts!

 

Here’s a little sneak peak at one of the desserts I’ll be teaching – “cuzzupa,” or, Christmas sweets. They’re delicious little citrus flavoured, scone like biscuits, coated in a lemon glaze, and are traditionally used in the Italian region of Calabria as gifts to loved ones at Christmas time. Can’t wait to teach them, because they are soooo yummy! You can enrol on Agata’s website, here, and hopefully I’ll see you there :)

Quick and Healthy: Chicken and Frijoles Refritos

25 Jun

Multicultural Inspiration from…

Mexico


In the name of not overloading myself or my audience on calories, I’ve decided to be a good chef and throw in a “Quick & Healthy” series of posts to my blog. Basically, I eat quite healthily the majority of the time. I use a lot of fresh veggies and grains in my day to day cooking, and indulge in desserts and sweets a couple of times a week (because life’s too short to skip dessert all together!). My lunches and dinners during the week are usually of the quick and healthy variety, because of the odd hours I work, and because I like to balance out my cheeky post-dinner treats with supper healthy eating during the day.

I really love Mexican food, as you saw when I went to Mi Corazon. The reason I love it is because it actually is quite easy to make it in a healthy way, so it doesn’t have to just be for special occasions or breaking the “diet.” So for my first Quick & Healthy installation, I bring you my healthier, quicker, mid-week version of a Mexican dinner: Chicken with Frijoles Refritos (re-fried beans).

To get this underway for two people, preheat the oven to 180°C and spray a baking dish with a little olive oil. Take 2 medium sized chicken breasts and trim off all excess fat, place them in the baking tray, and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Then turn the oven off and leave them to cool long enough to handle. Once slightly cooled, shred the chicken, pop it back into the baking dish, cover with foil, and place back into the oven until ready to use later.

Then grab out the remainder of your ingredients…

  • 150g diced zucchini
  • 150g diced red capsicum
  • 120g diced mushroom
  • 150g diced tomato
  • 1 small diced brown onion
  • half an avocado, sliced
  • 300g of refried beans, what ever brand you prefer. I like the Old El Paso type because they are a lot lower in fat and salt than a lot of other types.
  • 60g tasty cheese, chopped up in “chunks”
  • 5 tablespoons of salsa

Heat a large non-stick fry pan with a little spray oil, and add in the zucchini, capsicum, mushroom, tomato and onion.

Cook for a few minutes, or until the veggies start to soften and brown slightly.

Once the veggies have started to soften, add in the salsa and stir through.

Next, in with the refried beans – stir to combine, until they’re heated through.

Then, in with the cheese. Turn the heat off and just mix it through so it doesn’t stick to the fry pan.

I am very aware that dinner is starting to slightly resemble dog food at this point – it may not look pretty, but it tastes great! Ok, now get the mix into a bowl…

… top with the chicken…

… and finally, the avocado!


And there ya go! It’s great fresh, but if you’re like me and often need to eat at work, it’s just as good thrown into a tub and re-heated at work – just pack the avocado in a separate tub and add it in after you’ve reheated it all!

What are your favourite quick and healthy meals?

Prosciutto and Caprese Pasta Shells

23 Jun

Multicultural Inspiration from…

Italy


A week or so ago, I had the absolute pleasure of meeting with Agata from Amore Cucina, a cooking school she runs from her home, specialising in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese cooking. Agata’s philosophy on cooking is that it should come from the heart, and the kitchen should be the heart of our homes (couldn’t agree more on both points!).

While I was perusing her website looking for a a cooking class for myself to take, I came across an advertisement looking for cooking tutors experiences in Italian home cooking, passionate about sharing their skills. What an opportunity – I felt like Agata had written then advertisement especially for me! A few emails back and forth later, we decided to meet up so she could explain a bit more about what she was looking for, and for me to ask all of my questions. Half an hour later, I was saying goodbye to Agata with a hug and a grin from ear to ear – I would be joining her in the kitchen to teach some classes of my own!!!

I couldn’t be more excited about this wonderful opportunity, and as I fare welled Agata, I told her I was heading home to work on some preliminary cooking class ideas, but not before lunch. I told her about the giant pasta shells, giant conchigli, or oyster shells, that I had just bought, and my plans to stuff them full of whatever I could find and roast them in the oven.

My drive home began with a phone call to dad, then to mum (I couldn’t call Sous-Jeff as he was playing footy) to tell them my good news. I drove home with a grin from ear to ear, and after speaking to mum, I had a great lunch idea. One of my favourite and simplest things that mum throws together as part of a quick family dinner is a Caprese Salad, which is basically just tomatoes, mozzarella or bocconcini, fresh basil and olive oil. I love the sweetness of the tomato and basil mixed with the milky, refreshing taste of the bocconcini – I used to eat dozens of little bocconcini balls at a time as a younger child! So off I go, with a quick stop at the deli on the way home to pick up some prosciutto to add the salty aspect that I love so much in a pasta dish, and here’s how it went…

First up, I pre-heated the oven to 180°C and put a pot of water on the stove to boil. Once boiling, in with the shells – I used 10 for myself (I was hungry!).

While the pasta is cooking away, I get out my finely sliced prosciutto (about 50g) and prepare the caprese salad, dicing one large tomato, 7 cherry bocconcini and a few fresh leaves of basil, as well as a bit of rock salt and olive oil.

Once the shells are cooked al dente (not too soft as they still have to spend a little time in the oven), I drain them and let them cool enough to be handled. Then, I stuff each shell with a little prosciutto…

… and the caprese mix…

… and arrange them in a baking dish, stuffed side up…

… before finally topping with finely grated parmesan cheese…

… and getting it into the oven!

My shells were left in the oven just long enough for the parmesan and bocconcini to melt and brown slightly on top.

Apologies for the “smokey” picture – I couldn’t wait for it to cool down and stop steaming to take the pictures because it just smelt so good! As I mentioned before, I absolutely love salty flavours with pasta, but I also love the sweetness and creaminess of the Caprese salad. The two extremes married perfectly underneath the sharpness of the parmesan and the soft pasta shells. My only issue with these is that they were impossible to eat properly and with class – I gave up on my cutlery after the first one and ate the rest with my hand, like little sandwiches! I also tried them again two days later with Sous-Jeff, this time with roasted butternuts, bocconcini, thyme and prosciutto again – the super sweetness of the butternut was beautiful with the salt prosciutto. I can’t wait to try even more combinations of this! Any other suggestions?!

Hamburger Cupcakes

19 Jun

Multicultural Inspiration from…

the world of baking!


Two words I bet you never thought you’d hear together. Hamburger cupcakes. Random enough to get your attention? Thought so!

I found a picture of these around 3 years ago, after Googling “cute cupcakes,” wanting to find a super cute picture to email to a friend who was having a bad day. What I found, in amongst the fairy-and-pink-polka-dotted cakes, was a picture of what looked like a hamburger, but apparently made from far sweeter ingredients. I was intrigued, and clicked on the picture, hoping for a recipe or instructions, or more information at least! What I got was a bigger version of the picture.

I printed out an A4 sized copy of the cute little picture, took it home, and resolved to re-create them for myself. That weekend, I did exactly that, for my cousin’s birthday dinner with the family (he was turning 18 by the way…), and have since re-created it in a giant cake size for another cousin’s 13th birthday two weeks later, and then again now so long ago for a work colleague’s son’s birthday! Talk about a popular cake!

Anyway, how they came about again – we’re holding a cake-and-cookie stall at work at the moment to raise funds for the YMCA’s Open Doors charity – a gold coin donation will get you one of the lovely baked goods kindly made and donated by the staff at our branch. A colleague of mine made some awfully cute bumblebee cupcakes, and I decided I would not be defeated by them. So it was time to pull out the big guns. It was hamburger cupcake time.

They look a lot more complicated than they actually are, and they’re the product of a little bit of trial and error, seeing as I didn’t actually have a recipe to follow originally. But I improvised, and here’s what I came up with…

First, for the “burger buns,” bake a batch of standard vanilla cupcakes, in mini cupcake cases instead of standard size, and sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds before baking them.

For the “patties,” I made up a batch of chocolate cookie dough, and spread it over a baking tray as one giant rectangular cookie. Once it was baked and cooled, I used a shot glass as a size stencil and cut around that very carefully with a sharp knife to create the little round patties.

For the lettuce, I put some shredded coconut into a snap lock bag with a few drops of green food dye, and shook it around until all the coconut was coloured.

The tomato sauce was just icing sugar mixed with a few drops of red food colouring and a bit of water.

And the cheese was some royal icing dyed with yellow food colouring. Once it’s been coloured, roll it out between two pieces of baking paper.

Now, to put them together…

First up, peel the cupcake cases off the cakes, and slice them in half (top and bottom).

Then place one of the chocolate cookie patties onto the bottom half of the cupcake bun.

On with the cheese next! Slice it up into squares that will fit on top of the cookie pattie and hang over the edges a little. The easiest way to get the slices off the paper is by sliding a super sharp knife under the square and carefully sliding it off.

With a teaspoon, carefully spoon a small amount of the red icing “sauce” in the middle of the “cheese” – don’t worry about pushing it down the sides, it’ll drip once you put the top of the bun on and toothpick it all together.

Sprinkle a bit of coconut “lettuce” on top…

… put the lid on, and pop a toothpick through the burger, and you’re done!

These burgers might only be little, but they pack a huge punch! They’re pretty cute, and the combo of cake, cookie, icing and coconut all in one is a sugar lovers dream! And the kids passing by the stall at work seem to have liked them too, judging by the fact that 24 hours after I dropped 2 dozen of them off, there were only 2 left! Success!

From a little picture on the internet to a delicious little reality, here are my hamburger cupcakes! Sous-Jeff is already voting for hotdogs next! How about you? Have you tried making something that tastes like something else completely?!

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