Home-made Shawarma

One of our all-time favourite snacks is definitely a proper Shawarma.
According to Wikipedia, Shawarma (Arabic: شاورما‎) is an Arab meat preparation originating from Lebanon, where lamb, chicken, turkey, beef, veal, or mixed meats are placed on a spit (commonly a vertical spit in restaurants), and may be grilled for as long as a day. Shavings are cut off the block of meat for serving, and the remainder of the block of meat is kept heated on the rotating spit. Although it can be served in shavings on a plate (generally with accompaniments), shawarma also refers to a sandwich or wrap made with shawarma meat. Shawarma is usually eaten with tabbouleh, fattoush, taboon bread, tomato, and cucumber. Toppings include tahini, hummus, pickled turnips and amba. It is similar to Turkish döner kebab and Greek gyros.

Why not make your own Shawarma to your own taste? 
It's really not hard work at all and the whole family is bound to love them.
The spice blend really gets the authentic taste and is everything you would expect of a proper Shawarma. Use you favourite meat; beef, lamb or chicken. It doesn't matter. It all tastes really good. It's the perfect cure for a hangover, excellent for fighting your cravings for dodgy fast food and a great, healthy and tasty lunch snack. All done and dusted in no time. 
The reason Shawarmas are so yummy? The secret's in the spices.

Shawarma meat - spice blend:

1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp paprika / preferably smoked (called 'pimento' - you can get it in M&S) or noble sweet
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp vinaigrette or vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
500g meat - thinly sliced - either beef, chicken or lamb.

Veg for the Shawarmas:
8 cherry tomatoes
1 romaine or iceberg lettuce
1 cucumber 
1 red or green bell pepper 
1 red onion.

Tahina/yogurt-dressing:
1 1/2-2 tbsp Tahina
250ml (half a pint) plain low-fat yogurt 

Harissa/chili-sauce:
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp water
1 tsp crushed chili flakes
1 tsp salt

Method:

Prep the veg and chop/dice everything finely. Arrange on a plate so they are easy to add to the Shawarmas.

Tahina-yogurt dressing: 
Mix Tahina with yogurt and add salt to taste. Tahina is a liquid paste made from ground sesame seeds. You can find Tahina in most supermarkets dealing with arabic food. Go for the Middle Eastern-pale type made from non-rosted seeds. Keep the Tahina in the fridge after opening. 

Harissa-sauce:
Mix tomato puree with salt, water and olive oil. Add chili to taste. Add a tiny amount of ground cayenne pepper if more spicieness is required. You'll have a fine Harissa-sauce.

Shawarma Meat.
Blend the spices with the meat. Peel the garlic cloves and the onion and chop them very finely. Mix the meat and spices with the garlic, onion, 1 tbsp oil and vinegar and leave it to marinate for an hour at room temperature.

Heat-up a large cast iron pan, skillet or wok until it is sizzling hot. Add 1 tbsp oil to the pan and wait for it to heat up. Fry the meat at 3/4 heat for 3-4 minutes till it is fried thoroughly. Stir occasionally, but leave the meat time to get good contact with the pan so it can take colour and become somewhat crispy. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
Serve immediately in Arabic bread or pita bread with the chopped vegetables and Tahina/yogurt-dressing (and Harissa/chili-sauce if you like a bit of a hot kick). 

All sorted and they taste really yummy. Enjoy.

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Best Marzipan Cake Ever!

The other half recently baked the most amazing cake for me that I have ever tried. It is spongy, moist and so full of flavour. It must be the ultimate marzipan cake. Some people don't like marzipan, but the marzipan flavour is not overpowering in any way. It's more like an almond favour with benefits. 
The marzipan in the cake, however, helps giving the cake its characteristics and its moistness.

Ingredients:
250 grams butter - preferably unsalted (softened)
250 grams marzipan (softened)
150 grams caster sugar
¼ teaspoon almond essence
1 tsp vanilla powder / or seeds from a vanilla pod
6 large eggs
150 grams all-purpose wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda

You will need a 25cm / 10 inch springform tube pan or patterned ring mould, buttered and floured.
Preheat oven to 170ºC/gas mark 3. Chop the butter and marzipan to make them easier to break down, and put them in a bowl and use an electrical mixer, with the sugar. Mix until combined and pretty well smooth. Add almond essence and vanilla powder/seeds, process again, then break the eggs one at a time, mixing again each time. Add the flour and baking soda, mix yet again, and then pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping the sides and bottom with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 50 minutes, but check from 40 minutes onwards if it is baked. Then, when the cake looks golden and cooked and a cake-tester or fine skewer comes out cleanish, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin before turning out. 

The fact that you could easily get 12 slices out of this is another reason why it comes in useful when you've got people coming for dinner or tea. That it keeps for a good week is another point in its favour (if you can keep off it!); you don't have to be fiddling around with all the courses just before lift-off. 

It's really a variation over the pound cake. But so much more interesting than the original. It may cost a few pounds to bake it, but its yumminess guarantees that you will gain a few pounds once you start eating it. Not a healthy creation, but it's heaven on a plate. Go on: get baking!

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Rustic artisan bread rolls with sundried tomatoes

Italian-inspired rustic artisan bread rolls with sun dried tomatoes (Italiensk-inspirerede madbrød)

This recipe is my very own creation although you might be able to find a product in a bakery or in a supermarket that has (almost) the same properties. They are not particularly Danish, but they go very well with a variety of Danish dishes because of its savory properties and delicious harmonic flavors. The rolls are best when heated in the oven before serving. They have a great crusty surface and are amazingly soft inside. They are the perfect companion to Italian dishes like lasagna al forno, carbonara and other pasta dishes. You can even eat them as a snack with butter and/or cheese or eat them with some nice, homemade tzatziki.

Ingredients: (12-16 pcs.)                                   

400g all purpose flour                                        

6 dry sun dried tomatoes

25g fresh yeast or 20g dry yeast

3 cloves crushed garlic

2 tbsp(!) dried oregano (Yes: a LOT. Fresh does not work well here.)

2 tbsp olive oil

200ml lukewarm water

2 tbsp low fat milk

1 tbsp dried rosemary

Chop the sun-dried tomatoes finely. You can use a small food processor. Make sure you use the variey which is dry - not kept in a jar with oil or brine. Put the lukewarm water in a bowl, add the yeast. If using fresh yeast, make sure it is dissolved in the water by stirring with a tablespoon. Add the oil, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano and garlic. The add the flour little by little whilst stirring with the spoon. Hold a bit flour back and make sure the dough does not get too firm. It should still be a bit sticky. Let rest in a warm spot for 30mins. On a flour covered table, work the dough through for a couple of minutes, then roll it out as a "sausage". Cut it into 12-16 portions. Form each piece of dough to a small roll. Place on a owen dish covered with baking paper. 

Set the owen at 200C. While it heats up, leave the rolls on top for a second rise for approximately 15-20mins. Pestle the rolls with the milk and sprinkle rosemary on top of each roll. 

Bake for 10-12mins. Leave to cool down.

The reason for using the relatively big amount of oregano is that most of the fragile, volatile oils in the herb will evaporate during the baking process leaving only a warm, savory and pleasant hint in the finished rolls. The same happens to the garlic.

Tip: the rolls freeze very well and can be kept in the freezer for 2-3 months. Take a few rolls up and heat in the oven at 150C for 4 mins whenever you need them.

Tip: use a spray-bottle with cold water with a couple of squirts 2-3 times while the rolls are baking. This gives a great crust and a very soft roll.

Ingredients as QR-Code:

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