Tag Archives: azahars kitchen

crispy crunchy garbanzos

11 Saturday Jan 2020

Posted by in casa azahar, cooking, home, homecooking

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So this would normally appear in Azahar’s Kitchen (and it will!) but I got so excited about this (yeah, I know, sad…) that I wanted to share it here too.

In the past, whenever I would see recipes that called for you to peel your garbanzos I always thought Are You Crazy, No F-ing Way, Life’s Too Short, etc etc. Then I accidently discovered this method. Well, probably everyone knows it, but it was news to me. While I was drying the rinsed garbanzos (to crispy roast them) I rolled them around in a tea towel to get them extra dry and – magic! – the skins just slid right off. Yay!

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little salad dressing shaker thingy

09 Friday Aug 2019

Posted by in casa azahar, cooking, food & drink, home, homecooking

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Damn these summer sales! I once again find myself with another kitchen gadget that I didn’t know I needed until I saw it… and then also saw it was ON SALE. Not only cute but look how practical it is. The lid closes with an airtight snap while you shake up your favourite salad dressing, then easily opens for pouring. Also did I mention… SO CUTE!

I was actually looking for one of these simple squeeze bottles, like the (totally life-changing) one I bought for washing up liquid. Seriously, if you are not using one of these babies for your dish soap instead of a big clunky value-sized bottle of Fairy liquid, you do not know what you’re missing. It almost makes washing up a pleasure. Top tip: cut off the attached cap – not necessary.

So why was I looking for a squeeze bottle you ask? Well, I was remembering a time when I always had a pre-mixed “house dressing” ready to go that was not only perfect for drizzling over salads and other fresh veggies, but also was great on boiled potatoes, rice, even grilled fish and meats. I was reminded of this when I visited Finca Buenvino and watched the fabulous Jeannie whip out her bottle of “secret sauce” salad dressing and use it on almost everything, and it’s been on my mind ever since. So now I have the cutest bottle ever and just need to perfect my own secret sauce. Anyone want to share theirs?

back in the kitchen

12 Wednesday Jun 2019

Posted by in azahars kitchen, casa azahar, food & drink

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Some of you may know that one of my (too many?) websites is azahar’s kitchen, a recipe blog that I started back in 2009. It’s “moved house” a couple of times over the years, from WP.com to my own hosted sites.

Some of you may also be aware of a recent flutter of activity on that blog, which started after I published a new recipe (requested by my friend Ann when she saw a pic of my albóndigas al oloroso on social media). Then I found a bunch of photos that I had filed away for “later”, so I have added text to those and put them up too. There are still a couple to go.

This is totally a “hobby blog” just because I enjoy cooking, and also sharing the recipes I come up with (sometimes on my own, more usually a combination of several recipes I’ve found online or in books, which then get edited into one I prefer. So drop by and have a look. You can also subscribe to be notified when new recipes go up.  🙂

hooked on slaw

08 Friday Feb 2019

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Been making lots of vegetable slaw lately, using my spiralizer instead of a grater, so I decided to put up a recipe for it on Azahar’s Kitchen. I mean, it’s pretty basic, but what the heck. Since temps are unseasonably warm lately it’s a nice dish to have on hand (good for at least 3 meals).

Azahar’s Kitchen – Slaw

labneh!

20 Tuesday Nov 2018

Posted by in andalucia, casa azahar, food & drink, friends, home, homecooking

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So the first (and to be honest ONLY) time I had labneh was on a visit to Ronda in July 2012 and stayed at a small guesthouse run by a Lebanese woman called Anahid. She prepared breakfast for us which included fresh coffee and toasted rolls, gorgeous tomatoes with basil and olive oil… and labneh! I was so taken with it that I vowed to make it some day. And well, better late than never.  🙂

The inspiration came when I finally bought a Melitta coffee cone the other day, as I remembered it was very handy for straining yoghurt when I used to make tzatziki back in Toronto. I have since heard from friends on Instagram that paper towels in a colander @panepanna or a bra cup (!!!) @sledpress work just as well as the more standard cheesecloth method, but I like my little coffee cone.

After a couple of days in the cone, today the yoghurt looked ready for the marinade (olive oil, chopped parsley, lemon zest, s&p) and now it will spend another couple days in the fridge. I’m so excited! If it turns out I’ll put the recipe up on Azahar’s Kitchen (though I kind of just gave it to you already). Stay tuned!