Mixed Olive Relish

2 cups mixed brine-cured black and green olives 1/2 cup drained
pimiento-stuffed green olives 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion 2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or
to taste 1 tablespoon drained capers, chopped 1/4 cup finely chopped
fresh parsley leaves

Working with several brine-cured olives at a time and using the flat
side of a large heavy knife, press olives to crush them and remove
pits. Coarsely chop all olives and in a bowl toss with onion, oil,
lemon juice, and capers.
Makes about 2 cups.

Wheat with wild mushrooms

1 vacuum packed wheat
100gr fresh mushroms
1 liter of vegetable broth
Parmigiano Reggiano
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup milk or some yoghourt
Salt n' pepper

Saute in a pan the mushrooms with three tablespoons of extra-virgin
olive oil. Add vacuum packed wheat. In a separate pot, prepare a liter
of vegetable broth. Incorporate the broth with the mixture in the pan,
stirring gently over medium heat.
After 15 to 20 minutes, taste the mixture, add one half cup of milk
and one tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, and adjust the salt .
Cook until sauce thickens slightly and serve sprinkling grated
Parmigiano

GREEK VEGETABLE STEW ( briami)


2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 medium courgettes (zucchinis), sliced into chunks
1 pound bag of frozen green beans,
3 ground tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces of feta cheese

In a large pot, heat the oil and, when ready, add the onion and saute
it until it is translucent.
Add the potatoes and 1/2 cup of water. Simmer with the pot covered
until the potato chunks begin to soften.
Add the zucchini, green beans, tomatoes, and oregano.
Continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender.
Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Cut the feta into chunks and crumble them over the top of the stew.

Tah-Cheen (Persian chicken)

4 servings

Chicken, 1 kg
Basmati or Long Grain Rice, 500 grams
Yogurt, 500 grams
Saffron, 1 spoon 2 onions 3 eggs (yolks only)
Cooking oil
Salt
Black pepper
Directions:
Start by washing rice and soaking it in warm water (with added salt)
for 2 hours.
Then filter out the water.
Chop onions into thin slices and fry in oil until slightly golden.
Wash and cut chicken and and fry in onions until color changes. Add
some water and bring to boil. Turn heat down and let boil slowly until
cooked, adding more water if needed. Remove the bones.
While chicken is cooking, beat the yogurt until it is smooth. Dissolve
saffron in half a cup of hot water. Add saffron, salt, pepper and egg-
yolks to the yogurt and mix very well.
Pour a few glasses of water in a large pot and bring to boil. Pour in
rice and cook while stirring occasionally until rice grows longer and
slightly softens (Take care not to overcook the rice. It should still
be too hard for eating). Again filter out the water.
Pour several spoons of oil and several spoons of the yogurt mix into a
non-stick pot. Add a thin layer of rice and flatten using the back of
a spoon. Add a layer of chicken on top followed by another layer of
rice. Again flatten the rice. Spread several more spoons of the yogurt
mix on the rice. Continue in this fashion until chicken, rice and the
yogurt mix have been used up. Add some more oil on top.
Put the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
Place the pot in an oven (preheated to 250 F) and cook for 1.5 to 2
hours. Note that the longer Tah-Chin is cooked, the thicker the Tah-
Dig (delicious crispy layer of rice at the bottom) will be. When
cooked, remove the lid and let cool for a few minutes.
Place an inverted large dish over the pot and turn it over. Tap the
pot in order to loosen the contents inside. The contents should fall
on the dish in one piece with the Tah-Dig on the outside.

Braised Fennel (france)

Fennel Bulbs
Extra-virgin Olive Oil
Fennel Seed
Salt
Lemon Juice

Cut leafy top and stem ends. Peel outer layers. Finely chop some of
the leaves and reserve.
Cut fennel lengthwise into wedges.
Place wedges in pot with an inch of water. Add liberal amount of
Extra-virgin Olive Oil, a good sprinkling of fennel seeds and the
chopped fennel leaves. Season with salt, cover and cook over moderate
heat for twenty minutes. Shake pan occasionally.
Cook until wedges are soft, but still firm, and can easily be pierced
with a knife. If needed, add small amount of water to keep a little
liquid in the bottom of the pan.
Add a squeeze or two of lemon juice as a balance for the olive oil.
This should result in a slight emulsification of the lemon juice and
oil to be used as a broth when serving the fennel wedges.

CHICKEN PROVENCAL( france)


Serves 4-6

2-1/2 to 3 lb chicken, cut into serving pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb mushrooms, halved 1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp dried thyme
3/4 c finely chopped onion
1-1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 c dry white wine
1 c crushed tomatoes
3/4 c fresh or canned chicken broth
6 flat filets of anchovies, chopped
24 small pitted green olives, drained

Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat oil in skillet; add
chicken pieces, skin side down. Cook over moderate heat until golden
brown; turn pieces and continue cooking until golden brown on other
side.
Add mushrooms and continue cooking. Add bay leaf, thyme, onion, and
garlic. Cook, shaking skillet and stirring so other ingredients are
evenly distributed around chicken. When chicken has cooked 10 or 12
minutes, remove pieces.
Sprinkle ingredients in pan with flour; stir to blend evenly.
Add wine, tomatoes, and broth; stir and bring to a boil.
Return chicken pieces to skillet; add any juice that may have
accumulated around them. Add anchovies; check seasoning and add salt
and pepper if needed. Cover closely; simmer 5 minutes. Add olives and
cook 5 minutes longer. The dish is served on polenta (cooked
cornmeal).

Naan-Berenji(Persian rosewater desert)

4 servings
fine rice flour
500 grams very fine sugarcane sugar
200 grams cooking oil
250 grams rosewater
2 eggs


Mix oil, sugar and egg yolks and beat until soft. Beat egg whites
separately until they thicken. Add rosewater, flour, and eggwhites to
the mix and stir well. Pour the mix in a plastic bag and keep in the
refrigerator for 24 hours.
Spread the dough on a flat non-stick surface to a thickness of 0.5 cm.
Cut with a cookie-cutter, and cook in the oven at 300F for 15 to 20
minutes. Colour should not change much.