Tag Archives: feta cheese

Caramelized Onions Tartelettes with Black Olives

Posted on by
6

MayaOryanIMG_4347

I baked many tartelettes during the holidays some sweet and others savory. I involved caramelized onions with tarts, poultry and oriental recipes, it always adds to my meals an intense, roasty, lightly sweet taste close to jazz.

When onions are cooked slowly, all the natural sugars in, caramelize, without the slight addition of sugar.

Mini tarts are bite-sized and enticing. They work as an appetizer on a cocktail party or a casual gathering with friends. The puff pastry is crisp and each tart is carved with love.

I sometimes make two batches; one with feta and olives and the other with goat cheese and figs. Once you know how to make you tart shells an endless variety is found on the blogosphere. Enjoy the recipe below with friends or relatives and hope it results with echoes of smiles and happy bellies.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, leaves
  • All-purpose flour, for dusting
  • 250g / 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
  • ¼ cup feta, crumbled
  • ¼ cup black olives, pitted and halved

Preparation

  1. Melt butter with oil in a skillet over low-medium heat. Add onions and thyme, and cook (without stirring) 7-10 minutes, or until onions are golden.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 180°
  3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry, and cut out 7cms circles and place onto the baking dish. Pierce dough with a fork.
  4. Spoon feta cheese in the center of each circle. Top it with onions. Decorate with olives.
  5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the dough starts to rise and turn golden color.

Mukimame, Peas and Two Beans Salad

Posted on by
7

MayaOryan-PeasMukimameSaladIt’s really sad to see august, my favourite month of the year, ending and kiss the summer good bye.

My family and I spent amazing time this summer, we had my brother visiting from Canada with his family, my parents celebrated their 50 Gold Anniversary, our holiday trip included this year Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and The Netherlands and work was bountiful 🙂

Many bloggers keep a journal of their vacation and I really envy them for that as I never found the time to write; I was out day and night partying till 3am every day. The Nightlife in Lebanon is one of a kind. At night, when kids go to bed, my husband and I sneak out to ride the bike and join friends. Whether it was clubbing, dining, camping,… we did it all. I love winter for The Christmas season but after that it’s just a countdown to summer.

IMG_1245

While in Strasbourg this year I tried many specialties, but what grabbed my attention (and taste buds) was a salad that has nothing to do with the Alsatian food.

We had some of that chunky salad and then the next day we came back for more. I tried to guess the ingredients and this is my own version. Enjoy!

 

 Ingredients:

  • 1 cup red beans, cooked
  • 1 cup white beans, cooked
  • 1 cup green peas, cooked
  • 1 cup mukimame, cooked
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese, diced
  • 3 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon mustard
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

In a bowl, combine red beans, white beans, peas, mukimame, feta, bell pepper and pine nuts. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the salad. Stir gently until all ingredients are well coated.