#make my own fresh pom juice | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

the-uncharted-cookbook · 2 months ago

Text

Descendant

Demerara rum, pisco, cachaça, pineapple juice, lemon juice, lime juice, honey syrup, grenadine, and a dash of bitters

"No, they weren't zombies. They were people, or they used to be."

Nathan Drake pulled out his journal and flipped to a page labeled Scare O' Meter. He turned it to me and pointed to a drawing right between a "demon sasquatch" and Sully's mustache: a crudely sketched rendition of a terrifying creature hunched over and baring sharp teeth, aptly labeled "slippery naked guy."

He explained that the legendary El Dorado wasn't a city of gold at all, it was a golden sarcophagus. Whoever was buried inside had some kind of viral infection that changed people, mutated them into terrible, rage-filled monsters. This mummy was worshipped for its great "power" and sealed in gold inside a place of reverence. Spanish conquistadors found El Dorado in the heart of the Amazon in the 16th century and stole it away, bringing it halfway across the Pacific Ocean to an uncharted island as far away from civilization as possible. They paid greatly for their theft. The sarcophagus was opened and the Spaniards were infected, mutating into creatures no longer human. Over the past 400 years, with each new generation born, the descendants of those Spaniards devolved further away from humanity.

A shudder ran through me as Nate finished his tale. El Dorado is at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean now, hopefully lost forever. But the descendants... they're still out there, somewhere.

Naturally, the Descendant is a riff on the infamous and dangerously delicious Zombie cocktail. The Zombie was invented by Donn Beach in 1934 and was an immediate sensation, jumpstarting the tiki craze of the 1930s. Its original recipe was a closely guarded secret until relatively recently which forced imitators to improvise, often to disastrous results. The Descendant is based primarily on the midcentury Zombie recipe written by Donn for Louis Spievak's 1950 book Barbecue Chef. Three different South American spirits are used in the Descendant to showcase El Dorado's Amazonian roots: Demerara rum from Guyana, pisco from Peru, and cachaça from Brazil.

DESCENDANT

Ingredients: 1 oz. aged Demerara rum (El Dorado 12) 1 oz. Peruvian pisco (Barsol) 1 oz. cachaça (Novo Fogo) 1 oz. pineapple juice 1 oz. lemon juice 1 oz. lime juice 0.5 oz. honey syrup 0.25 oz. grenadine 1 dash Angostura bitters Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with pebble ice or crushed ice. Shake and dump directly into a Zombie or chimney glass. Garnish with fresh mint, slapped to express the oils.

As always, the types of spirits you use are important for the flavor profile of the cocktail. For the aged Demerara rum, I use El Dorado aged 12 years but Pusser's British Navy Rum, Hamilton 86, or other aged El Dorado rums will serve just as well.

A Peruvian pisco is preferred over a Chilean one. Each country has specific requirements for pisco production and distillation. Chilean piscos are often distilled multiple times and then watered down to proof while Peruvian piscos are bottled directly from the still. This means Peruvian piscos often have more depth and flavor than their Chilean counterparts. However, if you find the flavor of Peruvian pisco too potent, a Chilean pisco may suit your taste better. If you'd like other uses for pisco, I recommend a pisco sour.

For cachaça, my number one recommendation is the fantastic brand Novo Fogo. Their Silver cachaça is what I use and is the easiest to get your hands on, but I wouldn't hesitate to try the Chameleon or Barrel-Aged expressions if you can find them. Not only does Novo Fogo make delicious spirits, but they operate the Un-endangered Forest Project and are dedicated to rehabilitating the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, which has been decimated by deforestation.

As mentioned previously, store bought grenadine will be much more syrupy and sweet than making your own, so homemade is recommended. It's a fast and easy process and all you need is pomegranate juice and sugar (although pomegranate molasses and orange blossom water help provide more depth and texture). If you do use store bought grenadine, adjust the amount of honey syrup you use to balance out the sweetness.

The Descendant uses honey syrup and grenadine in place of the Demerara syrup and passionfruit syrup (or fassionola) used in the midcentury Zombie recipe. I chose these ingredients for the Descendant because they taste great, they can be found in other recipes in the Uncharted Cookbook, and they're more readily available and easily made. However, if you have Demerara syrup or fassionola on hand, feel free to swap those in instead and see which you prefer.

The recipes for honey syrup and grenadine can be found here.

#uncharted #nathan drake #zombie #tiki #rum #pisco #cachaça #uncharted cocktail #tiki cocktail #cocktails #uncharted oc #descendants #el dorado #uncharted drake's fortune

16 notes · View notes

adisneydreamingdarling · 3 years ago

Text

Met the most charming gal on a flight this morning and was showing her all of my "Disney Dinner and a Movie" meal traditions on IG. So in honor of her, I am posting my top 3 meals with instructions on how to accomplish each. For ease, I am including amazon links to specialty items you may need

Tips: There are a few tips to make the meals extra special.

✨️Try to incorporate some decor for each meal so it seems more in theme.

✨️Before everyone starts eating, introduce the names of each dish to the "eaters" so they can relate the movie to what their meal is.

✨️ Be sure to watch the movie while you eat!! We use these handy dandy TV tables to gather in the living room! So fun!!

TV Trays: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&tag=adisneydreami-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=3db502cb3e43490df64ca248051833d7&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=hpc&keywords=TV tables">TV Trays </a>

1. UP

Menu:

🎈Carl's Bowtie Pasta

🎈Dug's Dog Bone Breadsticks

🎈Russell' "PLLEEASE, Mister" peas

🎈Up Baloon Yogurt Parfaits

How to:

- prepare traditional bow tie pasta according to box, after cooked and drained top with your favorite marinara sauce and fresh grated parm cheese.

- I used Pilsbury refrigerated pizza dough in the can. Rolled it out thin and used a dog bone cookie cutter to make the "bones". Laid them on a cookie sheet and brushed butter over the top before baking to golden brown.

- prepared frozen peas with butter

- For the yogurt parfait, I used whatever flavor yogurt you choose and add a drop of blue food color to make it "sky" colored. Add 3 dollops of whipped cream to the sides to represent clouds and then pour an abundance of the cake decorating balls in the center to look like little balloons from the top.

Cake Decor Nonpareils for "baloons" - <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&tag=adisneydreami-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=f9f1836b627cfa7588aacc8e09db61c4&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=grocery&keywords=Wilyon rainbow Nonpareils">Food baloons</a>

Decor Ideas:

🎈A simple thing to do is add bunches of helium balloons around the room

🎈Use colorful gumballs in small glass dishes to represent balloons and set them around the space

🎈make a Garland out of pom pom balls, just a simple one to drape around the TV area or a central space in the room where you are watching movie

🎈Activity you could do is have children make their own UP balloon bunches by using different cored ink pads and their finger prints to make a balloon bunch. Print out the "house" image, cut it out and paste it at the bottom of your strings to attach it to the house.

Mini Ink Pads - <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&tag=adisneydreami-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=4f29de73dc0cc2c5ccf916a083944224&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=arts-crafts&keywords=Mini Ink Pads">Mini Ink Pads</a>

The house you can save, print and cut out

2. JUNGLE BOOK

Menu:

💚 Baloo's BBQ Sliders

💚 Bagherra's Roasted Broccoli

💚 Mowgli's Man Cub Mac and Cheese

💚 Jungle Juice

💚 King Louie's Royal Bananna Pudding

How to:

- I purchased my favorite pre-prepared pulled pork and put on mini slider buns. My kids don't like relish or slaw but you could top with either. For an "adult" version try fried pickels or fried onions on top!

- My kids ONLY like broccoli roasted. I take fresh or frozen Broccoli Florrets and spread onto a cookie sheet. I drizzle with olive oil and add sea salt. Roast broccoli at 450 degrees for about 20 min or until it gets crispy.

- Personally, I love the John Legand recipe for Mac and Cheese home made. Linked here, I have made it for years! Of course, most kids prefer the Kraft Mac and Cheese brand so that is always an option too.

- my "jungle juice" is just a Berry or fruit punch blend of juices. I don't love the kids to have a lot of sugar with dinner that we are having a dessert so I added a little orange flavored water with the juice to keep it fruity but "water it down".

- Oh Banana Pudding!! I love this easy recipe!!! Its no bake and fluffy. I get "fancy" with the decorating of the Nilla Wafers.

- I added a garnish of Sliced pinapple stacked for looks and added a red cherry to give it a pop of color.

Decor:

🐵 It's fun to incorporate decor ON the plates. I made leaves out of green construction paper. You could easily use a silk tropical plant leaf or flower on the side of the dish to accent food.

🐵 The Dollar Tree has some great cheap decor. You can get little jungle animals to set on the table or even these wall decals that can be placed directly on the TV Trays, table, counter or coffee table.

🐵 If you wanted to get real crazy, you could hang green crepe streamers from the ceiling that will help add a "jungle" feel!!

Activity:

- Make Placemats!! Use a peice of green construction paper and have the kids decorate the "placemat" with Jungle themed stickers!! They can put their name at the top and set on their tray to eat off of.

Jungle Stickers - <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&tag=adisneydreami-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=0db5db00a5a73bbf5f9850146f2c81de&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=arts-crafts&keywords=Jungle stickers ">Jungle Stickers</a>

3. Winnie the Pooh

Menu:

🐝 Piglets in Blankets

🐝 Tigger Springs Pasta Salad

🐝 Kanga and Roo Fruit Kabobs

🐝 Rabit's Garden Salad

🐝 Eyore Tails and Honey Comb Treats

How to:

- I used Pilsbury Crescent Rolls, unrolled from package and wrapped the hot dogs in the crescents. I used 2 "rolls" per hot dog, then Sliced them before plating them.

- You can do any version of spiral pasta. I personally enjoy the Kraft "pasta salad" kits. Easy to make and the kids enjoy.

- Again, pretty self explanatory just made simple fruit kabobs on bamboo skewers. You can use any fruit or berries that your family prefers.

- You can take any veggies your kiddos will eat to make a salad. Mine don't like dressing so I served it without but make it customized to your family. You can even just do carrots and celery with ranch if your little rabbits don't like lettuce.

- For the Eyore tails, using a full size Pretzel rod was too long so I broke the full rod in half. I melted white chocolate chips and added a few drops of blue food coloring. Drop the end of the Pretzel into the melted chocolate and let dry on a cookie sheet lines with wax or parchment paper. I used brown chocolate melted to drizzle onto the blue for extra decor but you could easily use some brown jimmies sprinkles for texture. I added the NOT edible pink bows at the end with a dollop of chocolate to fasten.

Pink Eyore Bows: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&tag=adisneydreami-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=4c5e14e84c0b287fe0dea2a7d8a2b739&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=grocery&keywords=Little pink bows ">Pink Bows</a>

- Remember the cereal highly advertised in the 90s, Honey Comb? They still exist!! I made the traditional "Rice Krispy Treat" recipe but subbed the rice crispys for the Honey Comb. Because the cereal is a little bigger, you need to add more marshmallows and butter to get them fully coated. Here is a great recipe for Rice Krispy treats...

Decor:

🐝 Since the movie is set in the 100 Acre Wood, bring in natural elements! Have some fresh cut flowers in a vase and even feel free to bring in some wood branches to set around.

🐝 These cute little honey bear sippy cups can be used for drinks and decor at the same time!!

Honey Bears - <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&tag=adisneydreami-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=61f18d2e40489f306123b9e674d82c5f&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=misc&keywords=WFPLUS 6 Pack 8 Ounce Honey Bear Bottle Plastic Squeeze Juice Drinking Straw Cup with 6 Long Silicone">Honey Bear Drinking Cups</a>

Activity:

- Since Pooh loves honey, it might be a fun activity to learn more about Bees! Try planting a pollinator flower with your kiddos. While you are planting talk about how bees help make the honey! Learning lesson and relatable activity. At most Plant and Garden centers you can purchase tiny small flower pots and potting soil. Look for these little annuals that are also good pollinators that will be in single cell plants for easy planting.

I have done 31 Disney Dinner and a Movies to date!! For more of my creations check out my Instagram account @preach2melyndseymarie

Hope you enjoy making these and enjoying some quality family time. Leanne, I hope your grandkids enjoy as much as my girls have!!

#disneypic #love #thehappiestplaceonearth #visiting #magickingdom #snowwhite #travelling #intags #amazing #disneyworld #happy #fun #instadisney #disneyphoto #disneyland #disneyaddict #disneylife #visit #disneyparks #waltdisneyworld #trip #disney #myhappyplace #disneymagic #disneylove #disneyxmas #adventure #disneyside #cool #disneyig #experience #tokyodisneysea #disneymovie #friends #disneyparks #intags #disneyside #disneypixar #waltdisneyworld #waltdisney #disneyart #disneycharacter #disneygram #tokyodisneyresort #disneystore #frozen #disneychristmas #disneychannel #instadisney #disneylandparis #disney #disneyfan #disneylandresort #disneyprincess #disnerd #mickeymouse #disneysea #disneylove #disneylife #disneymagic #disnedinnerandamovie

0 notes

benjamingarden · 4 years ago

Text

Monthly Meal Plan + Grocery Haul: February 2020

Grocery shopping has changed quite a bit for us as compared to pre-pandemic. Has it for you as well? I used to shop monthly at a handful of stores so we could work to spend the least amount possible. Now days we are definitely paying more so we can limit our shopping mainly to 3 stores. Of course there have been price increases as well with many items, so that doesn't help. Regardless, having a well stocked pantry and freezer has been a huge benefit.

Here we go:

Total Amount Spent for February: $336.55 = $84.14/week.

Whole Foods - $71.35

Hannaford - $86.13

BJ's - $179.07

Like last month we will need a re-stock on milk and half & half in a couple of weeks and may get fresh greens at that time as well.

A note about our groceries:

You won't see meat or veggies purchased much because we have both stockpiled in our freezers for winter & spring, and grow many of our own veggies during the growing season. When we do purchase meat it's usually in large quantity (for re-stocking the freezer) and most of it is purchased from local farmers. Eggs should not show up on our grocery lists as our chickens supply us with those. Our shopping of boxed/bagged/jarred items is usually for re-stocking our pantry.

More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Our Groceries:

Whole Foods

Fruit/Veg - my husband's favorite fruit, grapes ($2.99/lb), were on the list as were more sweet potatoes ($1.99/lb) (this time Hanna Sweet Potatoes), organic Envy apples ($1.79/lb), mini cucumbers ($3.99), cilantro ($1.49), and parsley ($1.49). The avocados were placed in this photo by mistake. They are accounted for in the Hannaford list because that's where they were purchased.

"Dairy" - of course I bought more Oately ($4.99/ea), no surprise there. I also bought my 2 favorite non-dairy butters. I rarely have oils/butters so they will last a while. If you are looking for a good non-dairy butter and haven't tried either the Foragers ($5.99) or Milkadamia ($3.59), I can recommend both. Foragers tastes like a cultured butter with a bit of a tang and Milkadamia is just a clean buttery flavor. Neither have palm oil if you're looking to avoid that as well.

Pantry - I like the King Arthur Organic Bread Flour ($9.99) for no-knead bread and pizza dough. I can't get the organic in the 2 regular stores I shop at so I usually either order it from King Arthur in bulk or purchase it at Whole Foods. Date Syrup ($7.99) - ok, yes, I know I can make this cheaper. Here's the issue. I have yet to be able to successfully make it as smooth as the syrup you buy. I use it in my coffee so if it has any chunks at all it's unappetizing. For any of you who make your own, any tips? I think it's my blender. I have a vitamix and I do not like it at all.

Other - sometimes I purchase pre-made hummus and Hope brand is one that I really like. I bought the Spicy Avocado (sooooooo good) ($2.70) and Original ($2.70)

Hannaford

Fruit/Veg - Avocados (shown by accident in the Whole Foods photo) (.49/ea), fresh salad greens (Little Leaf Farms $3.99/ea, Arugula 2 for $6.00), broccoli crowns ($1.69/lb), and I bought a package of mushrooms ($4.99) in case I couldn't get any at BJ's.

Meat - A package of little cocktail sausages ($4.29) as an option for Jay for lunch (pigs in a blanket with honey mustard dipping sauce), canned chopped clams ($3.19/ea) and bottled clam juice ($1.79/ea) for Clam Linguine later in the month.

Dairy - we had to buy milk at the store since we are only selling at the farmers market once a month right now. Local milk ($2.89), half & half (2.59/ea.) and cream ($1.99). And my husbands favorite butter ($6.99/ea) - 2 tubs because they run out of the large ones frequently.

Other - white vinegar ($2.69), rotisserie chicken spice blend ($4.99), Dentek floss sticks ($2.79), organic powdered sugar ($4.19) and organic brown sugar ($4.19), both of which we rarely use but I like to have them on hand, just in case. Salsa ($2.99) for days when I don't make any.

BJ's

Fruit/Veg - Kiwi fruit ($6.49 for 3lbs), mushrooms ($3.59), 3 bags frozen organic blueberries ($9.99/ea), 3 bags frozen organic cherries ($13.99/ea), POM Juice for the husband ($8.99), and 5 lb bag of sweet onions ($5.99).

Dairy & Meat - we have not been able to purchase all of the chicken we wanted to put in the freezer from a local farmer so we bought boneless skinless chicken thighs ($12.64 - just over $2.00/lb). Cheese sticks (Jay likes them wrapped with pepperoni and a bit of pizza dough then baked and served with pizza sauce) ($7.49)

Other - tri-color organic quinoa ($8.49), a special treat for my husband - PEEPS! ($9.99), cashews ($16.99), macadamias ($9.49) - both nuts are for Jays goji berry trail mix (noted in last month's post). Rao's marinara ($8.99) (the BEST once our homemade is used up), and Ro-Tel canned tomatoes ($7.99).

February's Meal Plan

A Note About Our Meal Plans

I create monthly meal plans because it's what I've found to be easiest for me. There may be some change but usually not much. Changing works because I rotate the same 30+ meals so we would use the ingredients at some point over the next 30-45 days. If we have perishables that need to be used up then that becomes priority and I may make changes to avoid food waste.

I usually make 2 separate meals - Jay and I eat completely different at this point. He used to be willing to eat what I eat as his side but not so much anymore. He's not a fan of whole grains and can only tolerate one type of veggie per meal. So.....you can see that I tend to eat the same thing multiple nights because it's easy and I don't mind at all. Where there's only one meal noted, I make a meat & cheese version for him and a vegan version for me. Where there's no veggie side noted for him I use whatever I've got that needs using up or I select a frozen veggie.

You will see that for Jays meals there are a few noticeable rotations.

In general, chicken meals are Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Pork is Tuesdays. And Beef is Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. This is in part due to the fact that he tells me it's illegal to serve chicken 2 days in a row. (insert eye roll)

Also, other then the occasional new recipe that I try, his meals rotate about every month and a half (a different rotation will show up for summer).

Our Sundays rotate around the same 4 meals (Tamales, Tacos, Homemade Pizza, and Pot Roast) because it's our farmers market day which means I want something super simple to make. I do not make the tamales, we love those by Tucson Tamale (not an affiliate link). Around us we can find a small variety at Healthy Living. Tucson Tamale offers meat, vegetarian, and vegan varieties and they are sooooo delicious. They do use oil in all of their tamales so if you are completely oil-free this is unfortunately not an option for you.

I remembered to photograph some of the meals!

Quick & Easy Chicken Parm

Homemade Hamburger Helper

Spinach & Sausage Stuffed Manicotti

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Recipe Links:

Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti (Damn Delicious)

Chicken Fajita Rice (The Girl Who Ate Everything)

Lentil Loaf (Simple Veganista)

Oven Baked BBQ Pork Ribs

Quick & Easy Chicken Parm

Homemade Hamburger Helper (Damn Delicious - I sub chicken stock for the beef stock)

Homemade Pizza - this is the pizza dough recipe we use

Spinach & Sausage Manicotti (South Your Mouth)

Bourbon Dijon Ham Steak (Martha Stewart - is delicious without the bourbon as well)

Slow-Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast

Monthly Meal Plan + Grocery Haul: February 2020 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

0 notes

maikrudduck30668-blog · 5 years ago

Text

Black Mold Removal - Removing Black Mold naturally

Avoid remaining sweaty after strenuous function. One of the main causes of acne is sweat, which irritates skin color and clogs the pores with petrolum oils. If you want clear skin, OxyBreath Pro Mask Reviews Pro Mask Review anyone might have to shower after any strenuous activities to make sure your skin stays fresh and devoid of dirt and oil. This costume comes along with a black and red cheerleader dress with blood stains on and pom poms to complete the look and feel. I am going in order to my unique touches including blood stained make up and frizzy hair. I'm also for you to purchase some blood stained stockings a few red hair ribbons.

Tea tree oil is a perfect solution for treating bacteria that affects the facial skin. It can also apply to the physique. This antifungal solution works effectively in reducing acne. Lemon juice is a reliable kitchen solution for acne. Lemon juice reduces the appearance of red marks, and it dries out acne using its acidity. Within all around way, this will help the general look, feel and healthiness of skin color. Try out lemon juice, to find out what it could be do for you. You could apply yoghurt to your acne scar tissue. It is also a simple and effective home remedy for scarred tissues. Yoghurt is known considering that natural anti-tanning agent. It is simple to remove your scar by means of yoghurt as the Medical OxyBreath Pro Mask Reviews for your face. Wash your face properly considering that the resulting dries -up. It is an effective home remedy for scar and OxyBreath Pro Mask Review it acts to be a cooling and skin lightening agent which means that the scars are less visible. You will most likely always watch what type of chemicals you are putting against your own face. Any kind of these chemicals with get rid of all with the oil on your skin. By doing this, your body compensates by producing payday loans no faxing amounts of oil and will cause further blockage of the pores etc . acne. Another approach to enhance your sleep is through using temperatures to a person to. Try to establish your mattress as cool that you can. When your bed is awesome then warm your kitchen. Science demonstrates using an awesome mattress and warm room is among the simplest in order to get superb nights lay.

0 notes

signbrake9-blog · 5 years ago

Text

Labneh Green Goddess

Home » Rose Water & Orange Blossoms Blog – Fresh and Classic Lebanese Recipes » Stories and Recipes » Labneh Green Goddess

Labneh Green Goddess switches up the traditional mayo/buttermilk dip with labneh, which offers wonderful flavor and tang. And health! You can use any plain labneh or Greek yogurt with any level of fat content. Use tons of herbs and make plenty so you can use your Labneh Green Goddess as a dip, a dressing, or topping for vegetables cooked any which way.

It was the very first market of the season this summer when I ran into my friend Kathie, who is a fabulous cook and always full of good ideas for the asking. She inquired what I’d bought. I rifled through my new market bag (it’s straw, with navy pom poms) and handed her a snap pea while we discussed what we were going to do with our market spoils.

She told me she’d be making her summer favorite, a Green Goddess with thick yogurt and a profusion of fresh herbs from her massive garden. With that, she would top any and all vegetables, raw and cooked, from that moment on throughout the summer.

Me too, I thought, me too! Great idea! I love to use the herbs from the only kind of gardening I do: the herb garden on the side of the house, where we grow tons of basil, thyme, chives, tarragon (barely—it got too big too fast and then we split it and are trying to grow half; it’s hanging in there, kinda sorta). And of course, the mint, a big huge corner of mint.

Here we are mid-August, and I’m viewing the Green Goddess goal the same way I have to view my book-reading goals: better later than never. I’m fascinated witnessing my niece’s experience as an 18-year-old discovering how fast time flies. Summer used to be long and lazy, she says, and now it’s gone in the blink of an eye! Is it true that time passes more quickly the older we get?

Or is it that we live in a part of the world, northern Michigan, where the softer season is so highly anticipated and so over-the-top in its glory of sun/lake/produce/soft breeze blessing that we gulp it down, thirsty after such a long, sustained dearth of it all (a.k.a. winter).

We don’t really nibble and make our delicious cookie of a summer last as long as possible, no we do not.

What’s comforting to me is that our pop of produce happens now, with the harvest of late summer. So just when we thought the season would drive away with the rest of our summer people up here, she actually is arriving in full splendor: peaches, blueberries, cucumbers, lettuces, radishes, carrots, beans, corn, tomatoes.

And the herbs! What better way to coddle the flavors of every other vegetable and fruit than with our aromatic herbs. And what brilliant soul (in San Francisco, no surprise there) put a whole motherlode of herbs together with a creamy base, inventing the Green Goddess we are ever so happy to worship.

We’re taking the classic Green Goddess and doing as Kathie from the market instructed: change out the traditional mayo/sour cream/buttermilk with labneh, which has perfect tang, full flavor, and can be scaled to lower fat as desired. Anchovies are also traditional. Like flower waters, they’re meant to bring out and deepen flavor rather than stand out on their own here. Use them or not. The main thing, as Kathie said when I passed by her again this week with more Green Goddess chat, is to make it GREEN, very green, with whatever herbs are handy (which reminds me of our green Fresh Mint Hummus). She was headed to her kitchen to roast her radishes and spoon the Green Goddess over that.

Another tip, in addition to making your Labneh Green Goddess green: make A LOT. Keep it in the fridge at the ready for a good week or more, airtight. You’ll follow my recipe a little, but then the beauty is your own Labneh Green Goddess will take on a life of its own at your hands, using the herb-balance you like most or using any herbs you have at the ready.

Labneh Green Goddess makes a wonderful dip for everything from crudité to French fries. Thin your Green Goddess with more lemon juice or a touch of cool water to make a salad dressing.

1 cup labneh

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Leaves from 1 bunch of flat leaf parsley

Leaves from a few sprigs of tarragon

Leaves from a few sprigs of basil

Several chives

Fronds from 1 bunch of dill

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 clove garlic, minced (green sprout removed, by slicing the clove lengthwise)

1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)

Stir the lemon juice into the labneh.

In a food processor, pulse all of the herbs until they are finely chopped. Stop and scrape down the bowl as you go. Add the salt, garlic, and anchovy paste and pulse to blend.

Scrape the labneh into the herbs and puree, stopping to scrape the bowl, until everything is bright green and well-blended.

Taste and adjust the seasonings to your taste. Chill the Green Goddess until you’re ready to use it.

(Visited 1,295 times, 1 visits today)

Source: https://www.maureenabood.com/labneh-green-goddess/

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

0 notes

drylip0-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Labneh Green Goddess

Home » Rose Water & Orange Blossoms Blog – Fresh and Classic Lebanese Recipes » Stories and Recipes » Labneh Green Goddess

We don’t really nibble and make our delicious cookie of a summer last as long as possible, no we do not.

Labneh Green Goddess makes a wonderful dip for everything from crudité to French fries. Thin your Green Goddess with more lemon juice or a touch of cool water to make a salad dressing.

1 cup labneh

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Leaves from 1 bunch of flat leaf parsley

Leaves from a few sprigs of tarragon

Leaves from a few sprigs of basil

Several chives

Fronds from 1 bunch of dill

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 clove garlic, minced (green sprout removed, by slicing the clove lengthwise)

1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)

Stir the lemon juice into the labneh.

In a food processor, pulse all of the herbs until they are finely chopped. Stop and scrape down the bowl as you go. Add the salt, garlic, and anchovy paste and pulse to blend.

Scrape the labneh into the herbs and puree, stopping to scrape the bowl, until everything is bright green and well-blended.

Taste and adjust the seasonings to your taste. Chill the Green Goddess until you’re ready to use it.

(Visited 1,295 times, 1 visits today)

Source: https://www.maureenabood.com/labneh-green-goddess/

0 notes

goope-jp-tenmei · 6 years ago

Text

Friendsgiving 2018

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Are you hosting this year? What about Friendsgiving? We always go up to my in-laws for Thanksgiving, but I have dreams of hosting my entire family someday. And now that my kids are a bit older, we might even be able to pull off hosting a small Friendsgiving gathering! Today I’m teaming up with Wheatley Vodka and a few seriously talented DC-area creatives to dream up my ideal cozy Friendsgiving celebration. And in addition to table inspiration, we’re sharing printable stationery and a couple of holiday cocktail recipes that you can make this holiday season!

I imagine an informal potluck style dinner with cozy candles, delicious cocktails, and of course some of our closest friends for company. And whether I’m planning a birthday party or a small dinner gathering, I always start by choosing the color palette. Neutrals are perfect any time of year, but I also brought in a few seasonal pops of color like burgundy, rust, and mustard yellow in the flowers and a few of the details. So cozy and welcoming!

The table settings are pretty simple, which is perfect for an informal gathering. Light gray ceramic plates, woven placemats for texture, some of our favorite glassware, and a couple of vintage brass candlesticks. Lori and Colleen from Wld Wst, a local floral design studio here in the DC area, made the most beautiful fall floral arrangement for our table. I also made a few DIY pom-poms in our fall color palette and wrapped them around knotted dinner napkins in mismatched colors (we used white, light blue, and pink). One of these days I’ll learn how to properly fold a napkin, but for now I’m really liking the napkins this way!

You know we’re all about the signature cocktail, and the holidays are no exception. Wheatley Vodka is made by the same folks behind Buffalo Trace Distillery, which has been making bourbon whiskey along the banks of the Kentucky River for more than 200 years. That’s more than two centuries of spirit-making knowledge! Wheatley Vodka is crafted in small batches using a one of a kind micro-still, using the same red winter wheat grain used for Weller and Pappy Van Winkle bourbons. The red winter wheat grain gives Wheatley Vodka a smooth, delicate finish that is pure and crisp on the nose, with hints of soft vanilla. It’s pretty much perfect for crafting holiday cocktails!

We made two holiday cocktail recipes with Wheatley Vodka for this Friendsgiving celebration: a bright and fizzy take on the classic French 75 (served in the coupe glass above and garnished with fresh herbs) and a winter punch that you can make in a huge batch for larger gatherings!

Cocktail illustration by Bright Room Studio

Wheatley 75

2 oz Wheatley Vodka 1 oz Lemon Juice 1/2 oz Simple Syrup 1/2 oz Orange Liqueur 1/4 oz Aquavit

Shake the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into a coupe glass. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a sprig of rosemary or thyme. Enjoy!

The Wheatley 75 is bright, effervescent, and a little bit tart – absolutely perfect for this season! If you’re making this cocktail for a group of people, you can even mix up 2-3 at a time in your cocktail shaker, then just top with sparkling wine in the glass. We used prosecco, but any sparkling wine should work!

Cocktail illustration by Bright Room Studio

Spiced Winter Punch

1 bottle Wheatley Vodka 1 bottle Apple Cider (about 64 oz) 3 cups Lemon Juice 1 1/2 cups Cinnamon Syrup 1 1/2 cups Orange Liqueur 6 oz Allspice Dram 48 dashes Cardamom Bitters

Combine all the ingredients in a punch bowl and fill with ice and citrus slices. Serve in punch glasses and garnish with seasonal herbs or a cinnamon stick. Enjoy!

We’ve gotten so many requests over the years for an easy winter punch, and I’m beyond thrilled with how this recipe turned out! It’s basically all of my favorite fall flavors in one cocktail. Feel free to adjust the quantities depending on how many people you’re expecting – this recipe will definitely fill up a punch bowl, so cut the ingredients in half if you’re expecting a smaller gathering.

Another favorite party tip: I always a drink station where friends and family can gather and chat before sitting down for dinner. All you need is a big punch bowl filled with spiced winter punch, a cheese board for snacking, and a floral arrangement – or a vase filled with eucalyptus or foraged greenery. A little bit of greenery can go a long way and helps to balance bottles or punch bowls on the other side of the credenza.

Lindsey from Bare Ink Co. created these absolutely stunning invitations for our Friendsgiving. I love the way Lindsey’s lettering feels both a bit fancy but also relaxed and informal – perfect for a Friendsgiving potluck!

Lindsey also made food and drink menus and the sweetest little conversation cards that you can place on each plate in lieu of place cards! I’m so excited to offer the menus and conversation cards as a printable download for all of you. Just download the files at the bottom of this post, print on regular letter-sized card stock, then cut out around the black outline! You can add your own text in Adobe programs if you have them, or just drop the entire file into Word. Easy peasy. We printed our menus on both vellum and card stock, and it’s absolutely impossible for me to pick a favorite!

We also personalized the invitations and menus with a single brushstroke of dark green paint on the left hand side. It makes every invitation and menu feel personalized, and it’s such an easy way to bring more of your color palette into your stationery!

I know the food is the heart of the holiday season, but it’s definitely more our style to make a signature drink or two instead of a traditional Thanksgiving dish. I love the idea of giving your guests drink menus instead of food menus at a holiday gathering – especially if you’re doing a potluck style dinner! We placed our drink menus right on the plate so guests could keep them as a reference while trying the different cocktails.

And seriously, how cute are these little conversation cards? You can download them through the links at the bottom of the post! We placed them on custom engraved wood coasters by Michele from Meant to Be Calligraphy. Michele also engraved one of the Wheatley Vodka bottles with the word “gather” and I can’t think of a better sentiment for this upcoming holiday season.

I hope you all have a wonderful Friendsgiving weekend and Thanksgiving holiday! If you make any of our holiday cocktail recipes, please be sure to tag @beautifulpaper and @wheatleyvodka on Instagram so we can see how they turn out!

PRINTABLE FOOD MENU

PRINTABLE DRINK MENU

PRINTABLE CONVERSATION CARDS

Creative Direction and Styling: Nole Garey of Oh So Beautiful Paper

Prop Styling: Joanna Carden

Stationery and Calligraphy: Lindsey Swink of Bare Ink Co.

Cocktail Recipes and Vintage Glassware: Liquorary

Florals: Lori Tran and Colleen Rogin-West of Wld West

Wood and Glass Engraving: Meant to Be Calligraphy

Cocktail Recipe Illustrations: Bright Room Studio

This post was created in partnership with Wheatley Vodka. All content and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!

Photo Credits: Lauren Louise Collective for Oh So Beautiful Paper

from Oh So Beautiful Paper https://ift.tt/2RZqLEm via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Oh So Beautiful Paper

0 notes

tmadeartistry-blog · 7 years ago

Text

4.30.18 [line]

Let’s Fiesta!

Things have been a bit “loco” around here at TaylorMADE for the past few weeks

trying to get everything in order for our first Crafty Hour!

I had a bunch of my girlfriends over for a Cinco de Mayo-themed

Margarita glass painting party!

Here are all of the details to host your own Crafto de Mayo party!

Decorations

– Cactus String Lights (Target®)

– Tin Can Cactus Garden

– Taco Door Mat

– Flowers from my favorite florist (Wilson Farm®)

– Tissue Paper Flowers (Dollar Tree®)

– Wire Cactus DIY

– Skull Succulent Planter

– Painted Corona® Vases (I followed this tutorial)

– Mini Piñatas (Taco from Party City® / Donkey from Amazon® – it’s actually a gift card holder!)

– Coffee Table (I made this coffee table about 8 years ago and it was the BEST DIY EVER! I added a glass top and some furniture feet to finish mine)

– My favorite thing about my coffee table is that I can change out the center décor according to season, theme, or just because!

– For this fiesta, I filled mine with poofs of different colored tissue paper

– Photo Booth: What’s a party without a photo booth?!

– I simply attached strips of crepe paper to a long strip of clear packing tape (super last minute but it worked so well!)

– Mini sombrero hats for fun/props (found at Party City®)

– White plastic tablecloths (Dollar Tree®)

– Falsa Mexican Blanket Table Runner (Amazon)®

Food/Drink

– Chips, Salsa, Guacamole

– Cupcakes (Wilson Farm®) / I decorated a bright colored stand with pom pom fringe

– Mexican hat gummy candies

– Margarita Bar:

– Put the margaritas in the pitcher I DIY’d (click here for the tutorial).

– Here’s the recipe (I can’t find the original source):

– One can of limeade from concentrate

– One can of tequila (I used Altos®)

– Half a can of Triple Sec

– One bottle of Corona®

– One can of cold water

– Fruit Juices: pineapple, blood orange, etc.

– Strawberry purée was a huge hit!

– Fresh Fruits: strawberries, lemons, limes, blackberries, raspberries, etc.

– Salt / Sugar (I used my set of DIY Coronitas® salt and pepper shakers)

– Mustache straws DIY (I put the straws in my drinking glasses I made from Corona® bottles)

– Click here for the template I created for my Silhouette® Cameo.

– Simply cut out the mustaches, punch a hole in the center and put it through a bendable straw.

– Water: Fill a large decanter with ice water and some sliced limes.

– I covered the bar table with the oil cloth tablecloth DIY (click here for the tutorial) from last summer. This was perfect for the sticky juices/fruits because I could just wipe it clean!

– I always have my bar cart decorated for each season or party.

– Click here for the 5′ x 7′ tequila printable I framed.

Project: Margarita Glass Painting

– Click here to download the complete instructions!

– I put all the enamel paints in one tin and put the bushes in a terra cotta pot.

– Q-tips® are used a lot in this project so I had some easily accessible in these etched shot glasses (click here to purchase your own set / click here to DIY your own).

– Not all of my friends are crafty and I wanted them to feel completely comfortable creating their glasses. I printed out some inspiration for them and threw in some tips throughout the night so they wouldn’t feel lost!

– I wrapped the glasses up and put them in cute paper bags for the girls to easily take their glasses home. I put an instruction sheet in the bags so they can replicate the craft again!

– I created a custom stamp with my Silhouette® Mint. Click here for the template. It is a donkey piñata with the pun, “I’d Hit That!”

– Click here for the tutorial I used to make the mini tissue poofs. I attached the poofs to the bags with double sided tape.

Olé! Happy Crafting!

Don’t forget to tag your projects and parties on Facebook and Instagram with #tmadeartistry!

Crafto De Mayo 4.30.18 Let's Fiesta! Things have been a bit "loco" around here at TaylorMADE for the past few weeks…

#Basic #Basic Techniques #Cinco de Mayo #Craft Party #Crafto de mayo #DIY #Glass Painting #Holiday #Home #Lifestyle #Margarita #Margarita Party #Party #Party Idea #Projects

0 notes

slamabama · 7 years ago

Text

Myanmar Adventure: Day 12: Bagan

I woke up and started to pack my bag for the day when I realised I couldn’t find my purse! We searched the room and emptied out bags but nothing! I was really upset, so went down to see the landlady and asked if she could call the pizza place. She said she would drive me there as some places are not very honest.

So she took me back there and as soon as I turned up the went and found got my purse! I was so relieved that I hugged the guy (not sure if that is ok or not!) all the money was still in it too! Our landlady said if I had left it at a more local place and not a tourist place then it wouldn’t have been found!

As we were driving back I saw a school with lots of girls doing excersises with big coloured Pom poms, I asked her if she had any children and she said “No, I am single!”, I said “Me too!” And she laughed and gave me a high five! She said that she gets to keep all the money she makes for herself! 😆

Once back I got the girls and headed out with our driver for the day. It cost 40000 for the whole day (£22) and we just asked him to take us to see some of the best sights.

Bagan has over 3000 Buddhist temples dating from the 11th century and last year (2016) the Myanmar government petitioned UNISCO to become a World Heritage Site. Also last year there was a 6.8 magnitude earthquake which cause significant damage to a lot of temples, esp. as there was a lot of rain after which caused more damage. Because of this lots of the temples are closed for restoration. Some have photos outside of the damage and the repaired section.

The first place he took us was not far from our hotel & as soon as we got out of the van we were accosted by a load of women saying “entrance this way” pointing to a doorway with the word ‘Entrance’ above it. So we went with them into a long corridor full of market stalls, each of us was then dragged by the arm to different stall in an operation to get money out of us! She held on so tight to my arm I had to forcibly pull it away, they then sat us down & applied free Myanmar sunscreen to our faces (a chalky concoction that most Myanmar people wear). I knew whilst sitting there that they would expect me to buy something, so I found a small owl trinket box and asked how much, she wanted 10000!!! Which is £5.60... in Ya gin they would have asked 2000 for the same thing! So I got up and said no thanks, at which point she thinks I’m haggling and in comes her mother to help. I start to talk to Sarah on the next stall but they get really aggressive, they start saying if I buy something for their shop it will be very lucky for me, so I say well that’s ok then because I don’t believe in luck and walked off! Sarah told me to walk away and so I went right up the hallway as far away from them as I could! Sarah bought a bracelet and so was let off, but then we saw Teri who was in distress at being hasseled into buying something, so Sarah went to help her get away!

It was incredibly stressful and aggressive! We were all quite shocked as so far every single person we have met have been wonderful and not like these monsters! It seems that being in a major tourist place changes people into money grabbers!

We decided to draw a line under it and explore the temple. It was very gold like most of the temples we have seen and there were lots of birds flying about and sitting on parts of the temple.

But we were jaded by the earlier experience and decided to move on.

Thankfully none of the other temples were like that! There were also a lot less tourists. I think that one must have been a day tripper temple for bus trips or something.

Anyway we then visited multiple different places, all quite different, we went to one where the frescoes inside the temple were the most intact examples that had not been damaged by the earthquake. It was a very small building and dark inside to protect the art. So only torches were allowed, no cameras or phones.

The nicest ones were the really old ones which had no gold on them, that had been left as they were when they were built (well kind of, there were some very crude restoration attempts that I hope will be addressed once the get the World Heritage certification.)

It was very hot & sticky early on, but the sky’s were blue with fluffy clouds which made for great pictures!

We were very glad of our aircon taxi and that we didn’t take a ‘traditional ‘horse and cart (we decided against this as we didn’t think the horses looked very well looked after 😔).

After about 5 temples we went for a drink to cool off. Teri decided to get a traditional sugar cane drink which they make by putting the sugar cane through a type of mangle! They then mix it with lemon juice. It wasn’t too bad, quite grassy tasting, but fresh.

After that temple the girls went back to the hotel & I went out and blitzed a whole load more!

At 4pm we picked the girls up again and headed to a temple that you can climb up the outside of so that you can watch the sunset! It’s pretty steep and not for those who don’t like heights as there is absolutely no safety measures in place! In fact we heard that a few days before we arrived an American tourist fell to her death here! But we didn’t realise it was the same place until Teri worked it out whilst we were sat at the top!

Not long after getting to the top I dropped my cover-up top down a level and climbed down to get it. On the way back up I cut my foot quite badly on a rock (you have to remove your shoes for every temple and usually for every house). We made do by cleaning the cut with a baby wipe and using a large plaster I had in my bag!

It was very beautiful sitting at the top overlooking the many temples, it could have been a lot more chilled if the Myanmar youth were not face timing their friends to show them the view! I guess technology is here to stay and we have to expect these things!

They did calm down after a while & it was nice to just take in the view. A little way into the distance we could see a man made structure which was built to replace the view point that was damaged in the earthquake. It was full of coach loads of people, we were so glad that we were not there!!!

It was quite cloudy, so the sunset wasn’t as spectacular as we might have hoped, but it was still beautiful.

When it had finished most people climbed down, but we stayed a little while and took a few pix of each other. Then I tentatively climbed down trying not to step on the cut on the Ball of my foot!

After a lush shower at the hotel I went out for food on my own as the girls just wanted to eat crisps! I didn’t venture far and chose a place that had westerners in it. The food though was very bland, I guess quality goes out of the window in touristville!

0 notes

trendingnewsb · 8 years ago

Text

Yotam Ottolenghis recipes for Easter lamb

Traditional roast lamb has its place, but try something new this Easter by looking to China, north Africa and Thailand for inspiration

Lamb, for all its associations with anchovy, rosemary, garlic and the Easter weekend, is a wonderfully non-denominational meat. As much as I thought I was going to stick with tradition this week, Im tickled as pink as a just-cooked fillet with how global (and, therefore, pan-religious) my recipes for lamb are. Theres a salad that takes inspiration from Thai beef salad, with the meat rare and cut thin and the salad fresh and fragrant; a shepherds pie with a north African twist from the addition of harissa, olives and dried apricots; and a lamb braise that uses all sorts of Chinese cooking staples.

The food we eat at Easter is, of course, symbolic and meaningful. Theres a reason and a story behind the traditions of our tables this weekend: the 11 balls of marzipan on top of simnel cake, say, the mark on top of a hot cross bun and the sacrifice of the lamb. But we also all have our own traditions and stories that we create with family and friends. These are the traditions we return to simply because its lovely to get together to celebrate over the long weekend, and lamb is a particularly lovely thing to do that with.

Spiced lamb shepherds pie with butterbean crust

A north African take on the classic dish, with a butterbean tahini mash topping instead of a potato one. You can assemble the pie up to two days ahead, and refrigerate, in which case add five to 10 minutes to the baking time, to allow for it being cooked from cold. Serves four generously.

90ml olive oil 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 3 banana shallots, peeled and thinly sliced 600g minced lamb 2 tsp cumin seeds 3 tsp ground allspice Finely grated zest of 2 lemons Salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 tbsp tomato paste 3 tbsp rose (or regular) harissa 100g dried apricots, quartered 280ml chicken stock 220ml white wine 80g pitted green olives, cut in half lengthways 670g cooked butterbeans (ie, 3 tins worth, drained; alternatively, soak 400g uncooked beans in water overnight with a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, drain and boil until cooked) 3 tbsp tahini paste

In a large, heavy-based pan for which you have a lid, heat three tablespoons of oil on a medium-high heat, then saute the garlic and shallots for about five minutes, stirring often, until soft and golden. Turn up the heat to high, then add the lamb, cumin, allspice, half the lemon zest and half a teaspoon of salt. Fry for five minutes or so, stirring every now and then, until browned all over, then add the tomato paste, harissa and half the apricots. Fry for two minutes more, then add the stock and wine, turn down the heat to medium, cover and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.

Once cooked, set aside the meat to cool, then stir in the olives and remaining apricots, and spoon the stew into a 20cm x 25cm high-sided ovenproof dish and refrigerate for at least half an hour. This will firm it up, making it easier to spread the mash on top.

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Combine the butterbeans in a large bowl with the remaining lemon zest, two tablespoons of olive oil, the tahini paste, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of black pepper, then mash with a potato masher the beans dont need to be totally smooth, just spreadable.

Spread the butterbean mix evenly over the top of the lamb, then make shallow dips here and there in the surface of the mash with the back of a tablespoon. Drizzle over the remaining tablespoon of oil and bake for 30 minutes, until nicely coloured and bubbling. Leave to rest for 10 minutes, then serve.

Easy braised lamb

As the name suggests, this is a cinch of a one-pot dish. Pretty much all the work is done in the oven, but it does require a bit of organisation to marinate the meat in advance. The joy of doing all the prep a day ahead is that, when it comes to serving, this feels like an instant supper. The fresh coconut adds a gorgeous texture, but the dish is still wonderful without. Serves six.

1 tbsp cumin seeds tsp Szechuan peppercorns tsp ground ginger 1kg diced lamb shoulder

3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated 1 tbsp chilli flakes 2 tbsp rice vinegar 2 tbsp soy sauce 20g dark brown soft sugar 2 tbsp olive oil 2 aubergines, cut into 3cm chunks 15 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 4cm lengths 2 red peppers, core and seeds removed, then cut into 6 wedges each Salt 100g coconut milk 50g fresh coconut (ie, the flesh of small coconut), coarsely grated, optional 10g coriander leaves, whole or roughly chopped 1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

Put the cumin, peppercorns and ground ginger in a spice grinder, then blitz fine. Put the lamb in a large bowl, add the spice mix, fresh ginger and chilli flakes, then rub all over to coat, cover the bowl and marinate in the fridge for at least two hours, and ideally overnight.

Heat the oven to 160C/320F/gas mark 2. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, a tablespoon of olive oil and half a teaspoon of salt to the lamb bowl, toss to combine, then tip the lot into the base of a large, 30cm x 35cm roasting tin.

In a bowl, combine the aubergines, spring onions, peppers, remaining tablespoon of olive oil and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, then spread the vegetables on top of and around the lamb. Cover tightly with aluminium foil, then bake for two hours, stirring once; add a little water if the braise starts to look a bit dry. After the two hours are up, remove the foil, bake for a further 30 minutes, then stir in the coconut milk.

Divide the stew between six plates or bowls, and sprinkle over the fresh coconut, if using, and coriander. Serve with steamed rice and a wedge of lime.

Grilled lamb salad with pomegranate and buckwheat

Yotam Ottolenghis grilled lamb salad with pomegranate and buckwheat. Photograph: Louise Hagger for the Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay

Serves four as a first course, or two as a light lunch.

1 aubergine, cut into 5cm x 3cm chunks 75ml olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 100ml pomegranate juice (ideally one that is 100% juice, such as the Pom brand) 2 limes, 1 juiced to get 1 tbsp juice, the other quartered, to serve 1 tsp light soy sauce small garlic clove, peeled and crushed 400g lamb neck fillet, cut widthways into 6cm-long pieces 100g pomegranate seeds (the seeds from 1 medium pomegranate) red onion, peeled and cut into 3mm-thick slices 30g mint leaves 40g coriander, leaves and thin stalks (dont use the thick stalks here) 1 tsp kasha (aka roast buckwheat), optional

Toss the aubergine in a medium bowl with three tablespoons of oil, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Heat a large nonstick frying pan on a medium-high heat, then fry the aubergine for eight to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden-brown all over. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen towel and leave to cool.

For the dressing, in a small bowl whisk the pomegranate juice, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic and a quarter-teaspoon of salt.

Toss the lamb in a bowl with the remaining two tablespoons of oil, half a teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of pepper.

Put a medium griddle pan on a high heat and ventilate the kitchen. Once the pan is very hot, turn down the heat to medium and grill the lamb (and any juices and oil from the bowl) for eight to 10 minutes, turning regularly, until charred all over. Transfer to a board, cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes, then cut into 0.5cm-thick slices (youll need a really sharp knife to get it this thin).

Put the aubergine, pomegranate seeds, onion and herbs in a large bowl with three-quarters of the dressing and toss, taking care not to crush the aubergine pieces, then divide between four (or two) plates. Arrange the lamb on top, so that half the salad is visible, then spoon over the remaining dressing. Sprinkle with buckwheat, if using, crushing some between your fingers and leaving some whole, and serve with a wedge of lime.

Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi and Nopi in London.