image: Priya Q

Pronounced as ‘tra-khana‘ this is a Greek breakfast cereal I had during my trip to Greece 3 months back. I loved it so much so that i picked up few packets of it for my Indian kitchen back home… and I absolutely love it . Thanks Kay for teaching me how to make it!

Tarhana – 3/4 cups

Water – 2 cups

Dry red chili – 1-2 nos.

Salt to taste

Olive oil – 1 tbsp

Feta Cheese – to your liking!

• In a thick bottom vessel heat oil and add the red chillies and fry for 4-5 seconds
• Add tarhana and water and stir.
• Cook on medium heat and keep stirring in between
• Add salt and cook till the water almost disappears and the cereal cooked
• Serve hot with feta cheese sprinkled over
• Optionally you can drizzles a spoonful of olive oil along with feta cheese

Till next time….happy cooking!

Meet Kay…a retired Librarian, enthusiastic and adventurous, warm and gentle and a lovely person

photo credit: Duru…

Now who so ever thinks that men shirk cooking need to meet Anand, an entrepreneur and a geek. He likes to cook whenever time permits and I am happy he could take time to share this recipe with me…

• 2 stalks celery, thickly sliced on the diagonal
• 1/4 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and cut into chunks
• 1 cup (250 mL) cubes Canadian Mozzarella cheese or crumbled Canadian Feta
• cheese
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) baby carrots, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp/2 mL dried)
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) each, salt and pepper (approx.)
• 1 cup (250 mL) grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1. Combine celery, cucumber, cheese, carrots, oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or container.
2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for up to 2 days.
3. Stir in tomatoes and check seasoning, adding more salt and pepper to taste just before serving. Tomatoes should never be refrigerated so adding them to the salad just before serving preserves their flavor and texture.
4. Add 1/4 cup (50 mL) black or green olives with the vegetables, if desired.

Meet Anand….

Anand Subramanian who is a full time blogger and Internet marketer from Cochin, Kerala. Thanks Anand for the recipe!

This recipe I picked up from my friends in stunning city of Nice in France. Thanks guys!

The idea of using a Raclette machine might have originated to encourage or enjoy a single meal together with family and friends. Imagine the cheese getting melted on hot Raclette plates while you chit and chat sitting around it and in no time the cheese finds its way to your plate on top of the hot boiled vegetables in particular potatoes (Europeans love their potatoes!).

Recipe for raclette is pretty simple. Buy a Raclette machine which looks something like this.

Buy Raclette special cheese and place it on the Raclette plate which are hot. Once melted transfer it on top of boiled potatoes (cubed) or other boiled vegetables. Add bacon or meat of you choice on top. Sprinkle salt and pepper if required and serve it along with some salad!

Simple but quick and tasty. I am sure you will love it…I enjoyed it!

My personal tip : If you don’t have a raclette machine don’t panic. A hot oven will do the trick except that the experience will be different. Its done before it gets to the inner table that’s all! And if you don’t find the special cheese then do with any other cheese…well, when there is a will there is always a way Just that it cant be called Raclette! You choose the name and let me know too!!

Till next time….happy cooking!

Meet Rosalie Courboulex…an independent working woman in the beautiful city of Nice in France and a mother to a even more beautiful daughter Elea Thanks Rosalie for introducing Raclette to me!