Qatar Cookery Guide

Italian cuisine

anciullo — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 09:32:28 +0300

When I first introduced myself to the group, I promised never talk about spaghetti or pizza, to avoid the stereotype (I'm italian, and I love spaghetti!!), but maybe...risotto? Is anybody interested on how to prepare a real good italian risotto? Of course we have to cancell all recepies that require wine (lots)or special ingredients (porcini mushrooms,trufles, pork salami or ham ,sausages, regional cheese...)so not much left, I can still suggest:
- risotto with shrimps, courgettes & saffron
- risotto gorgonzola cheese (in alternative roquefort or blue cheese), leeks and parmigiano
If not risotto, chiken breast milanese with sicilian "caponata"
..or for pasta lovers,Bucatini or maybe Fusilli "a la Norma"?
This could be my first contribution,I wait with my apron on, ciao

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Keeping it nice and simple!

ummsumaya — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 12:16:56 +0300

Hiya all,

I have to confess that I love eating. But.. I'm not a very good cook, and I don't have a lot of time to spare in the kitchen.

So, I need all your help - please!

Let me know of your most simplest yet delicious dishes. Something that is always appreciated, but doesn't require too much time in the kitchen.

I like all types of food, so please contribute and let me know how I can become an expert in the kitchen. Sort of like an "Idiots guide to cooking!" LOL.

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Burger with garlic yogurt

CYman — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 11:53:37 +0300

Hi all cooking lovers. I will from time to time post receipes from Cyprus and Greece.

This recipe originates from Asia Minor. (today’s west coast of Turkey). Thanks to Tasia who learned it from her mother, who learned from it from her mother who came to Athens from Smyrni (today’s Ismirn) back in 1922. The favorite burger of my family and ALL our friends.

You can use 100% beef minced meat in case you don't eat pork or if it's not available. You can grill it in your grill if bbq is not available. Satisfaction guaranteed!!!
Ingredients for 8 persons (You can adjust accordingly)

1 kilo of mincemeat, beef, pork or mixed.
8 spoonfuls olive oil
2 eggs
6 spoonfuls grounded yellow hard cheese (Kaskaval or kefalotyri type)
6 medium onions grounded
4-5 cloves garlic melted
2 small matured tomatoes
250 grams bread 4-5 days old, soaked and squeezed (Just the white part)
4 spoonfuls bread crumb rubbed.
4 teaspoons oregano.
Salt
Pepper black (to taste)

Preparation
We mix all materials with little water until they become a homogeneous mass. We should be careful not to make the mix very soft because the burger will break during the baking. If it needs hardening we add little bread crumb. We leave the mixture in the refrigerator to stand for 2-3 hours before we make the burgers.

We make our burgers in elongated (egg like) shape in order to be able to roll them or wrap them in our pitta and place them on a tray and with a little brush we apply olive oil on both sides in order not to stick on the grill.
We cook them on the barbecue (preferably on charcoal), on open grill and we continuously turn them in the beginning, so they do not stick. Also in the beginning we place the grill at the highest point and after we escape the danger of sticking we lower our grill.

Greek pitta is the best for this burger but we can use any kind of arabic, turkish or cypriot pitta. The thicker the better. They should be flexible so we can roll our burgers in them.

Garlic Yogurt

In 500 grams strained yogurt, (the more sour the better), we add half a cup of water, 4 spoonfuls olive oil, 2-3 big cloves garlic (melted), a teaspoon salt and white pepper. We mix well.

Ready, Steady, GO!!!

We apply garlic yogurt on our pitta, we place 2 burgers, thin slices of tomato, onion (if we like it), we wrap and enjoy. Personally I add some drops of Tabasco.

Bonne apetitte!

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Cooking On a Budget

charmed — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 10:27:46 +0300

We all seem to be noticing the rising cost of food out here and items seem to be getting more and more expensive, so im making a thread here where we can exchange idea about how to save money on the food shop, what foods are cheap to buy, and where to buy them from!

I mean you heard my take about the fresh chicken breast which they tried to charge me I think 60 QR for, when in the frozen section two chicken breasts are 7.5 QR!

Also has anyone else noticed the price of food in Q- Mart at the Mall ? Once I was in there and they were charging 35 QR for a cauliflower! I check the price of everything which I buy especially weighed good, you can really save some money when you start taking notice of how much things cost – many of us just throw items into the trolley without looking at the price!

So here I will list my hints for shopping on a budget and I will also put some recipes onto here too in the near future

Always buy frozen meat as opposed to fresh – its so much cheaper its unreal – AL Safia does a small very cheap frozen meat section

Always buy the locally produced vegetable and fruit there way cheaper – if you cant at least check out the cost of the items once weighed before you put in your trolley! Family Food does an amazing fruit and veg section which is really cheap!

Try cutting down the meat in your diet – I mean we are now cutting down meat to every other day – we can have omlette, pasta, rice

Make your own curry spices and chili spices bulk buy the spices and then grind them up, put in fridge and save

Keep an eye on the price of everything you buy – mushrooms for example in year have gone up by 4 QR!

Keep an eye out for bulk buy deals and free offers – especially with toilet rolls and washing powder – these items are expensive and you can save heaps if you check the prices of all the items and work out the best deal

Shop around – find a shopping centre which suits your budget and stick to it! For example we go to Family Food for the main shop and pop into Safia for the items you need day to day

Buy the tetra pack milk instead of fresh – it lasts much longer and costs way less

Ok so come on guys who else has got some idea on how to save money when food shopping! Yep im sad with the way I always take notice of what I spend – that’s the best way to save money thou!

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Recipes Which We Want To Learn

charmed — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 12:41:54 +0300

Recipes which we want to learn to cook

Such as for me:

Thai curry – I cant seem to get it creamy enough or herby enough it never goes right – I use tinned coconut milk is this right?

Indian Curry – I can get my currys hot, but not spicy there missing something which makes it spicy, I use cumin, coriander, garam masala, tumeric

Homuus – I use the chick peas ( tinned and drained ), tahini, oil but it never tastes right what am I doing wrong!

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Our Favortie Recipies

charmed — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 12:38:53 +0300

Here is a thread were we share our favorite reciepes ( the ones which we can always cook, and always taste great!)

Mine is a simple chilli which always goes down a treat when I make it!

Ingredients

Mince Beef ( I normally use enough for two people, this is based on two )
1 Onion
6 small hot chillis
Mushrooms
Tin Of Chopped Tomatoes ( if you can get ones with added chilli they go really well!)
Tin Of Baked Beans
2 Cloves of Garlic
Little pepper - black
2x Chilli Powder
1 x Coriander
1 x Papirka
Grated Cheese to sprinkle on top

How to make it:

Chop up the onion and the garlic and the chillis, heat this in a little oil in a frying pan along with all the spices- heat for about two mins

Then add the mince meat stir it in really well so the spices cover all the meat

Then add the mushrooms

Stir this till the meat goes a lovely brown colour ( for about seven mins)

Add the tin of tomatoes stir in really well

Add the tin of beans – stir in really well

Let simmer gently for about fifteen minutes till the excess liquid has simmerd away – but make sure there is some juice left so its not too dry

Then serve with some boiled rice and grated cheese on top! Yummy!

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New Cookery Group On Qatar Living

charmed — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 09:09:59 +0300

I have started up a new group on cookery out here in Qatar!

The main aim of the group is to share our own favorite recipes

To share our knowledge on how to shop on a budget ( with the cots of food rising)

To teach each other how to use all those wonderful things which you see in supermarkets and have no idea how to use!

i mean we have Indians, Philipinas, Thai, Pakistani, European, Middle Eastern people all on here so im guessing that we have a lot to teach each other about food and how to cook!

Anyone can sign up for this group as long as they have the same love for food which i have!!

Im going to put some other threads on here ( once i am more awake ) like a reciepe request thread ( indian currys i just cant get mine spicy enough!), a where to buy items thread, a cheap shopping and recipe thread and so on!

this is just an introduction to get people singing up! the more people we have the more recipes and eating we can do yay!!

Qatar Cookery Guide