"Crazy Hour"

I love Ramadan and all the cleansing and renovated spiritual strength that accompany it, but everyday there is crazy hour. Yes, you read it right: CRAZY HOUR.

Right now is crazy hour in Doha. 2 pm, when working homemakers like me get out of the office and pass by the supermarket to get a couple of ingredients that, no matter how much bulk shopping i do before the 1st of Ramadan, are missing. Today it was vital that i get them, the onions and parsley.

I could tell most people at the supermarket had just come from the office because of the way they were dressed and how the circles under their eyes were giant, a telltale that they spend too long in front of the computer without coffee or tea, giant panda bears in suits and dishdashas and designer abayas (i live in Doha, Qatar).

It's that time when people just want to get home and have a nap, but instead they have to buy something. And we're all hungry and thirsty and everything starts to look good and smell good. So we go crazy and buy all the unnecessary things. We go crazy and almost fight for that last bag of freshly baked bread.
Yeah, so, crazy hour.
My husband says the hour before Asr until the actual iftar, his mom would send him to play football on the street because she needed to be alone. I can so relate. I really wish my husband would come home and have a nap until Maghroub. Seriously. Because it's my crazy time and i know i should be calm and getting the benefits of being humble and pious and observant -- but instead i am just raging mad. Because i am trying to cook for two and habibi comes in and complains its not enough food. And then he decides to cook an extra dish. Which in the end he does not eat because it turned out to be too much food.
But today, i had my dose of crazy at the supermarket and i just got a call saying there won't be crazy time at home because husband will work until 4. Which is great so i can cook without him hovering around the kitchen.

I still have to look into the fridge and decide what to cook. And when i do, i'll let you guys know. With pictures of the final result, inshallah.

Thanks for letting me into the recipe center. I'm really happy to be here -- it's not just crazy hour talk, i really am happy.

Ramadan Kareem everyone!

Happy Ramadan !

I will take this opportunity by wishing you and all your families a happy and serene Ramadan, and that your prayers be all answered.

Its been some time that any of us has posted on this blog. Maiuna I apologize as I had hoped that Id be participating more than I actually did.

Now being Ramadan we are obviously as busy as ever in creating new recipes for our never ending hungry families while using them for our feedback ..…
May Allah bless them.

Organization is the key to everything and especially when we are committed to working outside the family home. Here a juggling act has to be put into action and obviously the cleverer the juggler the better the act…….

I’d like to start off by offering a very easy dish that I hope you will enjoy.

Here it goes Tajine Batata (potato dish) (4-5 persons)

1kg lamb preferred cut is cutlets or portion sized pieces
7-8 potatoes (peeled then sliced thickly in rounds)
2-3 green peppers (hot chili)
4-5 fresh tomatoes (cut up in quarters)
1 medium sized onion sliced
½ Tbs tomato paste
1/2tsp bzar (curry powder can be used instead)
½ tsp red cayenne pepper
1/4tsp salt
1/3 cup Olive oil
½ -1 cup water

Mix all ingredients thoroughly let rest a couple of mins . Then cover with foil and place in moderate oven till meat is of well done or preferred consistency usually takes about an hour and half max.

Chicken , beef or fish can replace the lamb but some adjustments need to made .

*chicken same spices and all ,but here the potatoes need to be sliced thinner and to cover with foil the first part of the required time , then leave uncovered till juices are nearly all absorbed.

** beef , remains with no change (ie same recipe)

*** fish , bzar (spice( turmeric)yellow in colour ,saffaron can be used instead ) is omitted and cumin powder and a clove of minced garlic is used instead, again the potatoes must be sliced as in the chicken tajine, but not to cover with foil when using fish.


***** Tajine should never be watery nor thick but nice and light with a roasted kind of consistency. Last 5-7 mins place the tajine in oven with heat from above, for the broiled effect. Best served with rice pilaf and a salad of choice.

Sahten !
Bon Appetit!


PS: Will post photo ASAP.

Stuffed red peppers

You need:
Lots of medium sized red peppers (I used 10)
1/2 kilo minced lamb or beef
1 big onion
1 green chili pepper
1 handful of minced Arabic parsley
half a cup of rice
salt
a little can of tomato paste
black pepper
grounded muscat
1/2 lemon


Mix the meat, onions, parsley, chili pper and the spices in a bowl with the rice. Knead everything through until levelled.
Empty the red peppers and clean them inside. You don´t really need the pepper caps, but they look nicer when together with the pepper.

Fill each pepper with the rice-meat mix. Leave 1/2 cm space for the rice to expand. Put the stuffed peppers in an oven pan. Mix the tomato paste with water and add the water until half covered. Cover pan with silver paper or lid.
Put the pan in the oven at 175 C and let steam under silver paper for 1 hour. Then uncover peppers and let them steam openly 1/2 hour more at 175 C.

Sprinkle with half the lemon and serve either hot or chilled.

Spicy Chocolate Cake

This is one of my favorite recipes, it's so simple and spicy...Yumm!


Ingredients:
125ml Vegetable oil.
1 1/4 cup sugar.
3 eggs.
1 cup self-raising flour.
1/4 cup cocoa.
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
1 teaspoon ground ginger.
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves.
1 cup full cream milk.
1 tablespoon icing sugar.

Directions:

Beat eggs and sugar in a bowl with electric mixer until white, think and creamy.
Add oil and milk to the mixture and beat for 2 minutes.
Fold in sifted flour, cocoa, and spices, stir until smooth.
Spread into a greased 23cm square pan( and cover base with greased paper) bake in a moderate slow ( about 180 degrees) for about 1 1/4 hours or until firm.
Leave to cool, and serve dusted with icing sugar!


Notes:
*you can use plain flour instead of self-raising, all you have to do is adding a full teaspoon of Baking Powder to each cup of plain flour.