INTERNATIONAL- BRAZILIAN CHOCOLATE FUDGE CANDY (BRIGADEIRO)

Brazilian Chocolate Fudge Candy (Brigadeiro)

 

   This sweet recipe is from my Dear Brazilian Friend Branca. Brigadeiro is highly recommended as an essential dish of birthday parties.

 

Brazilian Chocolate Fudge Candy - Brigadeiro

This recipe makes 20 pieces.

 

Ingredients

•        1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

•        1 tablespoon margarine

•        3 tablespoons cocoa powder

•        Chocolate sprinkles, to decorate (or jimmies)

Directions

1. Cook over medium-low heat; stir vigorously the sweetened condensed milk, margarine and cocoa powder.

2. Cook the mixture until it thickens enough to show the pan bottom during stirring.

3. Pour the mixture in a greased dish and let it cool to room temperature. Take small amounts of the mixture with a teaspoon and make 1 ½ inch balls.

4. Roll the balls over chocolate jimmies to decorate. Hint: Grease your hands with margarine to make the balls easily.

5. If the balls don't hold the shape and flat down like coins, it means that you did not cook enough. Cook additional five minutes, take a small sample and dip it in a glass with cold water. If you cooked enough, this sample should hold the shape after cooling down in the water.

6. In US, buy the sweet condensed milk from the Walmart brand "Great Value", cook this brand for 20 minutes in medium heat stirring continuously and your brigadeiro is with the right consistency.

Thanks to Branca.

Aysun E.

INTERNATIONAL- HOMEMADE GREEK PHYLLO DOUGH FOR PIES-BÖREK

HOMEMADE GREEK PHYLLO DOUGH FOR PIES
 

This recipe is brought to you by my Dear Friend Dimitra from Greece.

 

GREEK PHYLLO DOUGH- BÖREK

  

   In order to make a crunchy homemade phyllo for all kinds of pies (spinach, cheese etc), we need to mix in a large bowl the following:

Ingredients:
- All purpose flour, about 700 gr. (1.5 lbs)
- Dry yeast, 5 full Tablespoons
- Extra virgin Greek olive oil, 1 full water glass
- Vinegar, 4 full Tablespoons
- Warm water, half water glass
- Salt, 1 full tablespoon

Preparation

   We mix all the above ingredients. If the dough is sticky, we add some more flour. If it is too solid, we add some olive oil. Then we make around 6-7 dough balls, we cover them with a kitchen towel and leave them “rest” about an hour and a half. The dough balls are ready to be used when they have risen. We use a large rolling-pin to flatten each ball to a thin phyllo layer.

   In a medium oiled pan, we first put three layers of phyllo, then add the stuffing of our desire and at the end we cover with the remaining phyllo layers. We brush each layer with olive oil. Don’t forget to cut the pie in pieces before you put it in the oven.

Little secret: In order to open our dough balls easily with a large rolling-pin, we need to add some flour on each dough ball we are working on.

Oven Temperature: 180o C (360oF) for about an hour or until the crust gets a light brown color.

Good luck and enjoy!!!

Dimitra: "I dedicate this recipe to my beloved mother who taught me the value of homemade food."

 

Aysun E.

INTERNATIONAL- SPANISH TORTILLA from SPAIN / İSPANYOL OMLETİ

İSPANYOL OMLETİ- Spanish Tortilla

    

 

    İspanyol arkadaşlarımın davetlerde çokca yaptıkları lezzetli bir omlet tarifini beğeninize sunuyorum.

SPANISH TORTILLA from SPAIN / İSPANYOL OMLETİ

Malzemeler:

3 adet patates

4 adet yumurta

2 adet kuru soğan
2 yemek kaşığı zeytinyağı
Tuz

Karabiber

Yapılışı:

   Zeytinyağını bir tavada kızdırın, soğanları doğrayın.

   Patatesleri yıkayıp soyun. İnce halkalar halinde doğrayıp, kare şeklinde kesin.
  

   Patatesleri soğanlarla beraber pembeleşinceye kadar 5-10 dakika orta ateşte kavurun. Tuz ve karabiberi ekleyip ateşten alın.

   Karıştırma kabının içinde yumurtaları çırpın.

   Kavrulmuş patates ve soğanları yumurtalara katın. Patatesler yumurtayı çekene kadar bir kaç dakika bekleyin.
  

   Karışımı tavaya dökün. Omletin bu yüzünü 5-6 dakika pişirin ve sonra diğer yüzünü bir tabak yardımıyla çevirerek 2-3 dakika pişirin.
  

   Omletinizi servis tabağına alın. Maydanoz veya yeşil soğan saplarıyla servis yapabilirsiniz.

   Afiyet olsun.

   Aysun E.

INTERNATIONAL-FOCACCIA from ITALY

FOCACCIA with PESTO and POTATOES  from ITALY

Brought to you by my dear friend Lara from Italy.

INGREDIENTS
Pizza dough ( quantity depends on the pan that you want to use)
2 boiled potatoes
170 gr pesto with basil
170 gr stracchino cheese






FOCACCIA from ITALY

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
-Brush a pan with olive oil or you can use baking paper.
-Divide your pizza dough in two pieces.
-Roll out each piece and put one of them in a baking pan. If you are not able to make pizza dough you can buy 2 balls of it.
-Mash the potatoes and mix with pesto. Put the mixture over the dough.
-Add a layer of stracchino cheese and cover evrything with the dough that you have.

-Close the focaccia in a nice way and brush some olive oil on the top.

-Put in the preheated oven, cook for about 20 minutes at 220 C degrees.

Bone appetite.


Aysun E.

INTERNATIONAL - RASMALAI (SWEET DISH) from PAKISTAN

RASMALAI: A Delicious Sweet Dish from PAKISTAN
Special thanks to my Pakistani Sister and good friend who kindly provided this recipe...



RASMALAI (SWEET DISH) from PAKISTAN

Ingredients for Milk:
4 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1-2 cardamom

Ingredients for balls:
1 cup milk powder (full fat)
1 tea spoon butter
1/2 tea spoon baking powder
1 egg

and Almonds/ Pistachios

Preparation

  Boil milk with sugar and cardamom in a pan over medium heat.

 

  Meanwhile mix the powder milk, baking powder, egg and butter in a bowl. Mix gently with hands or spoon.

  Mix till it forms a ball shape. Knead lightly to make a smooth dough but not too much though!!

  Make equal sized small, oval or round shape balls with a light hand and flatten them slightly.

 

  Place the balls one by one into boling milk.

  Cook them on medium heat until the milk comes to boil and balls start to increase in size.

  Reduce heat and turn it off after 3-4 minutes. Now balls should be soft.

 

  Transfer it into serving dish.

  Sprinkle almonds/pistachios.

  Cool it in a refrigerator.

  Bone appettite.

Brought to you by Aysun E.

INTERNATIONAL - SAMOSA from PAKISTAN

SAMOSA: A Delicious meal from PAKISTAN

Special thanks to my Pakistani Sister and good  friend who kindly provided this recipe...



SAMOSA from PAKISTAN

Ingredients for Samosa dough (sheets)
1 cup flour (all purpose)
2 tbs oil
Pinch of ajwain (optional)
salt to taste
     or
You can take samosa sheets (wraps) and fill your own filling in it

Preparation of Samosa Sheets/Wraps
Take the ingredients and mix them all and mix them with water and make a ball shaped dough. Knead them all.





Ingredients for Filling
2 boil potato (mash them)
1/4 cup boiled peas (you can also add boiled carrot in it)
1/4 tbs grated ginger and garlic


SAMOSA from PAKISTAN

1 tbs chilli powder (as per taste)
1/2 tbs coriander powder
Pinch cumin
Pinch Kasuri Methi
Pinch Garam Masala
Chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Preparation
Mix flour with salt, oil and ajwain combine to form a crumbly mixture. slowly add enough water to make a pliable dough not too soft then make small balls.

Filling: Heat 2 tbsp oil, add cumin seeda then ginger/garlic, spice powders and 1 tbsp of water for few seconds. Add boiled peas and crumbled potatoes and saute for a few seconds. Add water and coriander leaves and turn off heat. Now stuffing is ready.

For Outer Layer: Roll each ball with rolling pin into sheet (round). Cut it into two halves.

Put stuffing in a semicircle sheet and fold in a triangle and seal it with water and fingers.

Deep fry it on a medium heat. You have your delicious Pakistani Samosa ready.

Bone appetite.

Brought to you by Aysun E.