Tag Archives: cooking

my cheesy apron!

13 Tuesday Apr 2021

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I have bought an apron! It’s not my first apron to be sure, but it’s the first one I’ve ever used. Or even bought. Over the years I’ve been given aprons by friends, by event organisers in their swag bags, by cooking schools… and they have all been politely folded in a kitchen drawer and forgotten. Because… well I don’t know! It just always seemed like that ONE EXTRA THING to have to deal with. And frankly, I’ve always been quite a tidy cook and don’t end up getting splashed with sauces, grease, etc. That is, UNTIL…

Yep. Lockdown. During the past year I’ve been cooking up a storm, as many you who follow my personal @azahar Instagram will have seen. Just home style cooking stuff, often using up leftovers, fridge foraging, and sometimes trying out dishes for the very first time. Much of which also gets posted on Azahar’s Kitchen.
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fucks sake

15 Thursday Oct 2020

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fucks sake (1)

I have always been SO CAREFUL with my mandolin. I use that little guard thingy so my hands don’t get anywhere near the blades, never slice veg while under the influence, etc. Except for yesterday. Don’t ask. I had thinly sliced some potatoes, then some onions (without the guard as the onions are pointy and, again, hand doesn’t get near the blade). Then I decided to do one more potato and, yep, forgot to use the guard thingy and … BLOOD EVERYWHERE. Seriously, it was like a teen slasher film in my kitchen.

Eventually got the blood staunched and managed to find some alcohol to disinfect the wound (gaaahh, with a big chunk of skin just barely hanging on), found some gauze and a few bandaids and, well, you can see the result above. I covered it with more gauze when I went to bed, but in the morning it was still quite throbby and frankly I wasn’t keen on taking off the bandaging again without professional supervision.

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dilly

29 Monday Jun 2020

Posted by in azahars kitchen, cooking, homecooking, recipes, sevilla

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dilly
It all started when I had a hankering last week for some tzitziki, which I hadn’t made in something like 35 years. So I got online, found a few recipes and, as usual, patched a couple together to make my own. Most called for fresh mint and/or dill, but I don’t like minty food so I went off to buy some fresh dill at the supermarket – and they were sold out! Instead I got some dried dill and well, it was just okay. So this week I was determined to try it again with fresh dill and it was heaven. A perfect summer dish, so light and fresh. You can find the recipe here in Azahar’s Kitchen.

Anyhow, this left me with a surplus of fresh dill, which I could tell wasn’t going to stay fresh long, even sitting in a glass of water in the fridge. But short of making tzitziki for the third time in a week, or dill pickles (something else I haven’t made for over 35 years) I didn’t know what to do with it. So I got back online and found this…

20 Bright & Fresh Recipes to Use Up a Bunch of Dill

dill feta

Which inspired me to make something completely different. But there are actually quite a few great sounding recipes there, so I expect my newly rekindled love affair with dill will continue throughout the summer. I also love how it feels so soft and silky when you run it through your fingers, though this could just mean that I’ve been in Lockdown too long.

crispy crunchy garbanzos

11 Saturday Jan 2020

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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?