Cauliflower Tahini

Cauliflower Tahini is one of the quickest and simplest dinner recipe. Tahini is basically Sesame seeds paste. My husband's stay in Cyprus has resulted in Middle Eastern dishes' regular presence in our Menu. Cauliflower Tahini is one of them. Its a very simple and quick recipe.

Cauliflower Tahini

Prep. Time - 2 mins
Cooking Time - 10-15 mins

Ingredients
1 cup Cauliflower florets
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4th cup Tahini Paste
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
1 tsp Chopped Parsley
1 tsp Chopped Basil

Preheat the oven at 400 F /204 C.

Toss the cauliflower florets with little olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper and place them in the preheated oven for cooking. Cauliflower would be nice and crispy within 10-12 minutes. If they are not crispy, broil them for 1 minute.
Meanwhile put a small pan on medium heat. Add 1 tsp olive oil. Add Tahini, lemon juice, black pepper, salt and stir continuously. Adding lemon juice gives a nice foamy texture to tahini. Remove from heat. Add chopped Parsley and Basil.

Mix this with the baked crispy cauliflower florets and Cauliflower tahini is ready to eat :)

Baklava

Baklava is a Greek sweet pastry.  Its a very easy and simple dessert, if made from Phyllo Pastry. Phyllo is available in almost all grocery stores in the frozen section.  Enough talking, Let me quickly take you through its making :)

Baklava

Prep. Time : 20 mins
Baking Time : 20-25 mins
Resting Time : 8 hours

Ingredients
Phyllo Pastry
1 cup Coarsely chopped mixed nuts
(Walnuts, Almonds, figs, coconut flakes)
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 cup Sugar + 1/4th cup Sugar
1/4th cup Honey (Optional)
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
Butter for brushing

Thaw the Phyllo Pastry according to Package Instructions.  Mix nuts, cinnamon and 1/4th cup Sugar in a bowl and set aside.  (Note: Traditionally Baklava are made from Walnuts, but adding Almonds, figs and coconut flakes enhances its taste and texture. Ratio for the mixture is 4:3:1:0.5).

Preheat oven to 350F.

Melt Butter. Now, on a greased baking tray, start layering the Phyllo. Create a layer of 6 sheets, brushing each sheet with butter before placing the next sheet over it.
Spread half of the nut mixture evenly over the Phyllo.
Layer 2 Phyllo sheets over the mixture. Brush Butter in between the two sheets.
Spread the other half of the mixture evenly.
Create another layer of 6 sheets on the top of the mixture, brushing butter in between the sheets.
Make diagonal slices to make a diamond pattern. Feel free to make pattern of your choice.
Place the baking tray in the preheated oven and Bake until the top is golden brown.  It takes around 40-45 minutes.
While the baklavas are baking, prepare its syrup. Add half cup each of water and sugar in a bowl. Allow the mixture to boil. Add 1 tsp of Lemon juice. Lemon juice will prevent the sugar from crystallizing. You may add Cardamom powder for extra flavor. Once the sugar is dissolved, add honey and stir well.  Stir occasionally until the syrup has started thickening. Switch of the flame and allow the  syrup to cool.
Once the baklava are done, remove them from the oven. Pour the syrup in the cuts. Set them aside for setting. Allow them to set for around 8 hours, though there is no harm in tasting before they are set ;)

Enjoy this mouthwatering Mediterranean dessert in your sweet home!!

Falafel

The first thing I tried in Mediterranean Cuisine was Falafel. Although I had tasted Falafel earlier in India, I liked it only after tasting it here in US - a more traditional version with Pita, Tzatiki dip, Humus, spicy red chutney and salad.

It's a good starter for any party. And recipe is very easy - read on to believe it.

Prep Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 40 minutes

 Ingredients

1 Cup Chickpea/Garbanzo beans/Chole Chana

1 tablespoon Gram flour

1 tablespoon Corn Flour

1 tablespoon Coriander leaves/cilantro

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp turmuric powder

1 tsp garam masala (optional)

1 tsp crushed green chilis

1 tsp crushed ginger (optional)

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 small chopped onion

 Salt to taste

for tempering (optional)

dried red chilis

mustard seeds

sesame seeds

coarsely crushed groundnuts.

Soak Chick peas for atleast 18 hours.  You can also buy boiled garbanzo tins from the market.  Remove the water from the peas and then crush them - not too fine or too coarse. Add all the other ingredients and mix well to form a batter. 

Now prepare the tempering. Tempering is totally optional. Authentic falafel doesn't have tempering. I am just giving it an Indian touch by adding Indian spices, ground nuts and sesame seeds tempering. Add the tempering to the batter.

There are two options to make falafel : deep fry or bake.

To Deep fry: heat oil, make small ice-cream scoop sized balls from the batter and try frying 1 ball first. If it falls apart, add little corn flour.  Fry until golden brown in color. Drain on paper towel.

To Bake: preheat the oven at 350 degree F. Take a deep baking tray. Slightly brush with oil and place the balls in the tray a little apart from each other. Cover the tray with a aluminum foil. Allow them to bake for 20-25 minutes.
I like to use the cup cake tray for baking. After around 20-25 minutes, flip the falafel and place them again uncovered for another 20 minutes or so until they are properly cooked and golden brown in color.

Serve with Tzatiki, salad and/or with pita pockets.