Houmous in Halls

I have neglected the blog for months and months, but I am coming back to it with a force! I have lots of different cooking plans in the next half a year. Here are some of them:

1. Going through university, environmentally “awah” phase and trying out veggie. So, I’ll be posting all my vegetarian experiments.
2. Nowruz is coming up soon! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowruz) I will try to make an Iranian feast for the occasion.
3. Easter! I want to make my own Easter eggs and other chocolatey things.

So, those are the plans for the near future. I hope I succeed. My kitchen this year is even smaller than last year, so fingers crossed.

I am starting to gather ideas for my end of term Middle Eastern Easter Feast and I found a recipe for a Moroccan apple pie the other day, not something I knew they were famed for.

It was rather fiddly because it used filo pastry( I ashamedly bought it) and I was under time pressure, but the end result was very good.

So, here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 6 green apples
• 1tsp grated lemon
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 vanilla pod
• 115g caster sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 80g unsalted butter
• 8 sheets of filo pastry

Method

1. Put the apples(peeled)
2. Open the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the bowl
3. Add half of the sugar and toss to coat the apples
4. Put  the other half of the sugar in another bowl with the cinnamon, mix to combine
5. Put the apples into a shallow saucepan with a little water, to simmer for 10mins
6. Preheat oven to 220 Centrigrade/425 Fahrenheit/Gas 7 
7. Brush a cake tin with melted butter
8. Lay a sheet of filo inside and brush with the melted butter(if you don’t have a brush, then use your fingers!) then sprinkle with a little of the cinnamon sugar
9. Repeat with the other sheets of filo so that the whole of the tin is covered, with he filo going over the sides of the tin.
10. Add in the apples and press them down.
11. Fold the filo over the top and brush with more butter
12. Invert the pie onto a baking tray(you don’t have to, if you think it might collapse. Mine tasted fine in the tin. it;s just for added presentation)
13. Bake in the oven for 30-35 mins.

Well, I promised myself I would finish my tutorial reading, but at least blogging here is useful procrastination? I have been coronated the Queen of Brownies by several friends. So, it’s about time I repay them for the brownie-loving adoration by making the recipe known to all.

So, here goes:

Ingredients

• 200g dark chocolate
• 175g butter
• 250g caster sugar
• 130g plain flour
• 3 eggs
• 100g white chocolate

Method

1. Preheat oven for 170 Celsius or 325 Fahrenheit ( gas 3)
2. Melt the dark chocolate and butter together slowly
3. Take it off the heat and add in the sugar, stirring until incorporated
4. Add flour and stir in aswell, followed by the eggs
5. Pour into your container for baking BUT! break up pieces of white chocolate in the middle, between layers of the mixture for added gooeyness. Best to use a container that isn’t too shallow, or else they won’t be deliciously gooey! :D 
6. Leave in the oven for 30-35 mins. If the mixture seems too squidgy then don’t worry. Leave it to cool, and when cold enough, put it in the fridge.

You do have to leave them in the fridge for a while but they’re worth it in the end.