Quick Tips for Pairing Cheese and Wine :

Pairing cheese and wine can be intimidating, but really, it’s all about experimenting. There are no set rules, only guidelines. The five pairings below are a good place to start.

Salty With Sweet

The salty flavor of blue cheeses, and even some washed rind cheeses, balances out the sweetness of dessert wines, and vice versa. 

Blue Cheese :

 

Washed rind cheese :

Regional

Try pairing cheese and wine produced in the same region. Manchego or Zamarano with Albariño wine, and Beecher’s Flagship Reserve cheddar with a Washington state Syrah are examples of regional pairings that work well.

Zamarano : 

Manchego :

Creamy With Tannic

Triple Crème cheese is buttery, smooth and gentle -- the perfect foil for the rough tannins found in a young red wine from Bordeaux. Although slightly less creamy, Brie might be another good match.

Triple Creme cheese : 

Acidity With Acidity

Repeat after me: Goat cheese and Sauvignon Blanc. You will not be disappointed. Why? The acidity in goat cheese gives it a tangy zip that matches perfectly with the crisp acidity of most Sauvignon Blancs (white wine). Try French Selles-sur-Cher with Sancerre.(wine)

French selles -sur -cher :

Rich and Creamy With Bubbles

If the only reason for this pairing is complete decadence, so be it. Champagne or any sparkling wine paired with a rich, creamy cheese is one of life’s great pleasures. Try it with the Cowgirl Creamery's Mt. Tam or a wedge of rich, dense Gruyere.

 Cowgirl Creamery's Mt tam :  

Dense Gruyere :

Lebanese Laban Immo (meat cooked with yogurt) Recipe

Ingredients:

½ kg lamb neck fillet cut into cubes
4 onions sliced
2 Tbs oil
5 cups yogurt
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 tsp dried mint
1 Tbs butter
2 Tbs cornflower mixed with 2 tbs. water
1 egg beaten                                                           
a pinch of mixed spices
salt
2 cups water

Methods:

Brown onions in a saucepan until soft. Add the meat pieces and spices, fry for a few minutes and then bring to a boil by adding water. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer for almost 1 hour or till the meat is tender. In the meantime combine yogurt, egg, cornflower and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring all the time. As soon as it starts boiling, lower the heat and add the cooked meat with its sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes. Heat some butter in a separate pan, add garlic and mint, fry for one minute and then pour over the yogurt. Serve the meat with some rice.

Sa7tein !!!

You have a Ceremony ? what about a HOMEMADE LEMON LIQUEUR !!!

Ingredients:

                       12 lemon peels (see below)

                       1 1/2 cups vodka

                       1 1/2 cups sugar

                       6  cup water

                       1/4 lime peel

                       1/4 orange peel

   Method:

    1.  Using an apple peeler, carefully peel just the rind of the lemons,

    discarding the white pith from the 12 lemons and the 1/4 orange and lime,

    and put this outer layer of peels in a jar.

    2.  Boil sugar and water together for 30 minutes, allow to cool before adding.

    3.  Seal the jar, allowing the mixture to steep for 4 weeks. Shake lightly, daily.

    Store in a dark cool place.

    4.  Strain and filter well with cheese cloth or cloth filter before storing in a

    sealed container.

Cheers !!!

Homemade Pizza Recipe !!!

• Prep time: 2 hours
• Cook time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Pizza Dough: Makes enough dough for two 10-12 inch pizzas

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (105°F-115°F)
• 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) of active dry yeast (check the expiration date on the package)
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour (can use all-purpose but bread flour will give you a crisper crust)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Pizza Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Cornmeal (to slide the pizza onto the pizza stone)

• Tomato sauce (purée)
• Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese, shredded
• Feta cheese
• Mushrooms, thinly sliced
• Bell peppers, stems and seeds removed, thinly sliced
• Italian sausage, cooked ahead
• Chopped fresh basil
• Pesto
• Pepperoni, thinly sliced
• Onions, thinly sliced
• Sliced ham

Special equipment needed

• A pizza stone, highly recommended if you want your pizza dough to be crusty
• A pizza peel or a flat baking sheet
• A pizza wheel for cutting the pizza, not required, but easier to deal with than a knife

METHOD

Making the Pizza Dough

1 In the large bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer (such as a Kitchen Aid), add the warm water. Sprinkle on the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Stir to dissolve completely if needed at the end of 5 minutes.

2 Attach a mixing paddle to the mixer. Mix in the olive oil, flour, salt and sugar on low speed for about a minute. Remove the mixing paddle and replace with a dough hook. Knead using the mixer and dough hook, on low to medium speed, until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If you don't have a mixer, you can mix and knead by hand. If the dough seems a little too wet, sprinkle on a bit more flour.

 
3 Place ball of dough in a bowl that has been coated lightly with olive oil. Turn the dough around in the bowl so that it gets coated with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm place (75-85°F) until it doubles in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or several hours longer, a longer rise will improve the flavor). If you don't have a warm spot in the house you can heat the oven to 150 degrees, and then turn off the oven. Let the oven cool till it is just a little warm, then place the bowl of dough in this warmed oven to rise.

At this point, if you want to make ahead, you can freeze the dough in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Preparing the Pizzas

1 Place a pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour.

2 Remove the plastic cover from the dough and punch the dough down so it deflates a bit. Divide the dough in half. Form two round balls of dough. Place each in its own bowl, cover with plastic and let sit for 10 minutes.

3 Prepare your desired toppings. Note that you are not going to want to load up each pizza with a lot of toppings as the crust will end up not crisp that way. About a third a cup each of tomato sauce and cheese would be sufficient for one pizza. One to two mushrooms thinly sliced will cover a pizza.

 

4 Working one ball of dough at a time, take one ball of dough and flatten it with your hands on a slightly floured work surface. Starting at the center and working outwards, use your fingertips to press the dough to 1/2-inch thick. Turn and stretch the dough until it will not stretch further. Let the dough relax 5 minutes and then continue to stretch it until it reaches the desired diameter - 10 to 12 inches. Use your palm to flatten the edge of the dough where it is thicker. You can pinch the very edges if you want to form a lip.

5 Brush the top of the dough with olive oil (to prevent it from getting soggy from the toppings). Use your finger tips to press down and make dents along the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Let rest another 5 minutes.

Repeat with the second ball of dough.

 

6 Lightly sprinkle your pizza peel (or flat baking sheet) with corn meal. Transfer one prepared flattened dough to the pizza peel. If the dough has lost its shape in the transfer, lightly shape it to the desired dimensions.

 

7 Spoon on the tomato sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and place your desired toppings on the pizza.

8 Sprinkle some cornmeal on the baking stone in the oven (watch your hands, the oven is hot!). Gently shake the peel to see if the dough will easily slide, if not, gently lift up the edges of the pizza and add a bit more cornmeal. Slide the pizza off of the peel and on to the baking stone in the oven. Bake pizza one at a time until the crust is browned and the cheese is golden, about 10-15 minutes. If you want, toward the end of the cooking time you can sprinkle on a little more cheese.

Yield: Makes 2 10-12-inch pizzas.

Stuffed Zucchini in Yogurt Sauce – Kousa b Laban

Below quantities for 4 to 5 People.
1 kg small sized zucchini (15 cm and less)

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion finely chopped
300 g minced lamb meat (low fat) or ground beef
2 cubes chicken broth (optional)
2 crushed gloves of garlic
1 teaspoon salt (or more)
¾ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 tablespoon pine nuts (optional)
1 cup short grain rice

4 cups low fat yogurt
1 egg
1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon dry mint




-The zucchini pulp is scooped using a special utensil (found in Middle Eastern Food stores) or the handle of a tablespoon. First cut both ends of zucchini (slightly).
If you've never done this before, place the scooper next to the zucchini and estimate the full length – 2 cm to avoid opening a hole in the closed end of the zucchini. Slowly turn (using your wrist) the scooper in 90 degrees counter rotating moves while removing the scooped pulp gradually (this is the only tough part about the whole thing).
-Wash with water and let dry. You can use the pulp for another side dish so you don't have to throw away, but I really don't feel like writing about it today.



-Over medium heat in a large pot heat olive oil, add chopped onion stir for 5 minutes then add minced lamb, garlic, black pepper, Cinnamon and pine nuts. Continue stirring for another 5 minutes then add washed and rinsed rice and chicken broth and stir for 1 final minute then turn off heat, remove and place in a bowl.
-Let cool at room temperature.

-Stuff the zucchini with (above) using your fingers ) until ¾ full and slightly pressed.



-Add cornstarch and the egg to Yogurt in large pot and stir constantly with a wooden spoon over medium (don't stop at all – if you do the yogurt sauce will break apart and becomes useless) until boiling. Immediately reduce heat to medium/low then stop stirring (now you are safe). Add the stuffed zucchini to the yogurt and cook for 60 minutes (uncovered).
-Remove, sprinkle with dry mint and serve.

Bon Appétit !!