Kitchen Nomad Globe-Cooking Recipe #13 : Baba Ghanouj (Lebanon)

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I'm not really keen on aubergines so I have to admit, I've been putting off making the Baba Ghanouj recipe from my Kitchen Nomad box. Having seen several people saying that it's their favourite recipe from the collection though, I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try.



The recipe (that you can see on the Kitchen Nomad website here) calls for three ingredients from the Lebanon box : Sumac, Tahini and Pomegranate Molasses. (I told you more about those the first time I used them here.)


 The first thing to do was bake a few aubergines - as I wasn't really expecting to be keen on it, I just used one, and popped it in the oven to cook at the same time as my cottage pie. (I always try to multitask when using the oven as it saves energy, so I often throw a few potatoes to bake in the bottom of the oven with the roast, for example.)


I left it to cool and kept it in the fridge until the next day when I peeled it and blitzed it, adding tahini and lemon juice to create a thick dip.


It tasted ok but nothing special until I added the mint, sumac and pomegranate molasses, plus my secret ingredient - a couple of sprays of Frylight BBQ flavoured cooking spray which added a lovely smokiness - after which I was amazed to discover that I really liked it. Some strips of flatbread were perfect for dipping into it.

Disclosure : I received a Kitchen Nomad box in order to write an honest review. In order to see all the different recipes (from Greece, Vietnam, Lebanon and Pakistan so far) and to find out how to subscribe for your own Kitchen Nomad box, head over to http://www.kitchennomad.co.uk/

Special discount code for Madhouse Family Reviews readers: if you enter the code MADHOUSE on the checkout page of the Kitchen Nomad website, you can enjoy £5 off your first box for any subscription plan.


Other blogposts you may be interested in :

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Fab freebies of the week 28/9/13


There are 4000 full-sized Revlon Photoready Skinlights face illuminators up for grabs on their website, giving you great odds of nabbing one

Jungle Dogs are giving away a voucher for a free pack of their hot dogs, to be redeemed in Tesco's

There are 1000 vouchers up for grabs for a free tub of Ben & Jerry's on the ASDA website

Try a free bottle of Firefly Tonics new Jade Green Goddess drink

Apply for free trees for schools and community groups (to be delivered in March 2014)

Try Total Greek Yogurt for free

Free TREX calendar for 2014 - this has fab recipes, it's where my Quadruple Choc Muffins came from 

Sign up to the Danone newsletter and get a voucher for £1 off your next purchase

You may also like to enter my giveaways :

Giveaway #323 : Win a pair of tickets for Cirque Eloize in London - closing date 1/10

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Board Game review : Bugs In The Kitchen

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As soon as I saw the name of the latest Ravensburger board game that we had received to review, I knew it would be a hit with the Madhouse Mini-testers. "Bugs In The Kitchen." I could already hear them crying "eurgghhh" delightedly !



And that was before we even had a look inside the box and discovered that it has a Hex bug in it. The Madhouse Mini-testers had seen these before in a toy shop and thought they were very cool. They're little robotic bugs that scuttle about in a very fast, erratic and quite random manner. They give me the creeps a bit which just makes them love them even more !



The game is very simple to play. The board is made up of a maze of pivoting knives, forks and spoons. You roll the dice to know which piece of cutlery you can turn to try to guide the Hex bug through the maze to your designated trap.


It's more down to luck than judgement really because you can set up the perfect path to your corner then twiddle your thumbs helplessly when the bug scuttles off in the wrong direction. This evens up the odds for younger players but can be a bit frustrating for older players who want to use skill and strategy rather than sheer luck.

It's great fun and is a quick game to play if you're short on time (about 20 minutes usually). The kids invariably end up playing with the Hexbug on the table when the game is over though. The suggested age range on the box is 6+ but 4-year-old Pierre manages to play (and sometimes even win) quite successfully.

star rating : 4/5

RRP : £19.99




Disclosure : We received the game in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Kids' app review : Henri le worm - The Missing Cookbook

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What's Cooking at The Madhouse next week? menu plan 27/9/13


It's definitely looking a bit autumnal on this week's menu plan !

Saturday


lunch - last week's cauliflower cheese went down so well that I'm making a similar dish but with different veggies : a mixture of broccoli, Romanesco broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and potatoes, I think, with added mushrooms, onions and bacon in the cheese sauce


dinner - stuffed round courgettes - maybe like this, or maybe like this

Sunday

lunch - traditional Sunday roast - not sure what the meat will be as it will depend what looks good in the supermarket tomorrow

dinner - tomato soup with grilled cheese-topped croutons

Monday 

dinner - Mediterranean chicken thighs with butternut squash and rice

Tuesday

dinner - twice baked stuffed potatoes 


Wednesday

lunch -  meatballs and spaghetti with pesto for the grown-ups and tomato sauce for the kids

dinner - Japanese Beef Stew

Thursday


dinner -  prawn curry with rice

Friday

dinner - time for another pasta bake I think

***Click on my Menu Plans tag to see all my other weekly menu plan blogposts.***

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

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James Martin Cheese & Chive Soda Bread Mix review


On a recent shopping trip to Tesco's, I saw some James Martin Cheese & Chive Soda Bread Mix on offer and decided to give it a go.


It's very simple to make. You just mix in some milk then knead it for a few minutes until you have a sticky dough.


Leave it to rise for quarter of an hour then shape it, flatten it and score it with a cross.


After baking, it had a lovely crisp, golden outer crust.


Inside, it's quite dense and chewy. The kids absolutely loved it and the whole thing disappeared in two days. They loved it warm from the oven but also cold the next day, spread with salted butter. I was slightly disappointed by the flavour - to me it tasted more of an artificial cheese and onion crisps flavour than a natural cheese and fresh chive flavour that I was hoping for - but I did seem to be in the minority !

The RRP seems to be about £1 for 350g but I think I picked it up for about 80p on promotion.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

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Bisto Midweek Meal Challenge recipe #5 : Cottage Pie with Butternut Thatch


When Bisto sent me through their recipe cards for Midweek meals with a twist, I wasn't planning on making them all, but they've all been so well received that I'm working my way through the whole lot now ! I love the way most of them take recipes that I already use and just add a little tweak that makes it simpler or tastier or healthier. Yesterday's dinner was a prime example. The cottage pie was very similar to what I usually make, except for the addition of butternut squash to the mash topping.


If you've never used butternut squash before, here's what it looks line inside. It has quite a sweet flavour, slightly reminiscent of pumpkin.

Cottage Pie with Butternut Thatch


Ingredients

900g (2lb) potatoes, cut into chunks
500g (1lb 2oz) prepared butternut squash, or one small butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
500g (1lb 2oz) extra lean minced beef
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


1. Put the potatoes and butternut squash into a large saucepan. Cover with boiling water and add a pinch of salt. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until tender.


2. Meanwhile, heat a large saucepan and add the mince a handful at a time, to sear and brown it (this is important to get a good flavour). Add the onion, carrot and parsley, then add 300ml (1/2 pint) boiling
water. Simmer without a lid for 15 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 200 C /fan oven 180 C / Gas Mark 6.


4. Sprinkle the Bisto Gravy Granules into the mince mixture, stirring until thickened. Transfer to a baking dish. Drain the potatoes and butternut squash, then mash them with the milk and season with black pepper. Spoon on top of the mince, using a fork to roughen the surface.


5. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Cooking tip : If you’re short of time, spoon the piping hot mince mixture into a warmed baking dish, pile
the hot mash on top, then cook under the grill for 5-6 minutes to brown the surface.


Clean plates all round ! They always like my cottage pie anyway but I love the fact that this version sneaked in some extra veg. Sophie said she preferred the mash because it was sweeter and had more flavour. Juliette and Pierre didn't notice any difference at all !

This is also a great dish for preparing the day before if you know you're going to be in a mad rush and just want something quick to reheat for dinner !

for more information : http://www.aahnight.co.uk/

Disclosure : I received some Bisto gravy granules and recipe cards, as well as a shopping voucher to buy some of the extra ingredients.

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Bisto Midweek Meal Challenge recipe #4 : Marvellous Monday Pie
Bisto Midweek Meal Challenge recipe : Toad in the hole with a twist
Bisto Midweek Meal Challenge recipe : Bangers with Red Onion Gravy & Root Mash

Bisto Midweek Meal Challenge recipe : Sizzled Turkey Steaks with Leek Onion Gravy

I'm getting ready to discover the cuisine of Pakistan !

Posted by on at 1:13 PM | 0 comments

It's always a moment of great excitement opening up a Kitchen Nomad box to see what the new destination will be. The teaser picture had me intrigued when I flipped open the cardboard lid ...


Underneath, the foodie goodies were nestling, still hiding the secret of their heritage. Could I work it out? Ummm nope ! A quick look at the cards and I discovered that this month, it's Pakistan.



I have no idea of what Pakistani cooking tastes like (yet!)- I'm assuming it's close to Indian, but Sumayya Jamil, the Pakistani food writer and cookery teacher who has provided the recipes to accompany this box, is on a mission to highlight the differences of Pakistani cuisine from other South Asian cuisines. Should be interesting.



It seems to be a bumper box this time with lots of things to discover, as well as a few products that I already recognise and feel familiar with. The contents include Red Chilli Powder, Chaat Masala, Green Cardamon, Basmati Rice, Cloves, Cinnamon, Chana Daal, Gram Chickpeas Flour, Cumin, Desiccated Coconut, Pistachios, Coriander Seeds (I love the idea of growing some of these to have our own coriander to harvest) and Curry Leaves.


I wouldn't have a clue what to do with some of these products so on to the all-important recipe cards. I'll soon be making Pakoras, Channa Daal, Raita, Chicken Yakhni and a rather unlikely-sounding dessert, Carrot, Coconut & Pistachio Halva.

I can't wait to see how we get on !

Disclosure : I received a Kitchen Nomad box in order to write an honest review. In order to see all the different recipes (from Greece, Vietnam, Lebanon and Pakistan so far) and to find out how to subscribe for your own Kitchen Nomad box, head over to http://www.kitchennomad.co.uk/

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

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