Beef Stew with Okra and Herbs

As a fan of fresh okra dishes, I’m always delighted when they are in season again, and immediately start to use them in different dishes.  One of my most favorites is the Sephardic dish of braised okra (click HERE for recipe), which I make often. This time, I’ve decided to prepare a version of it, with the addition of beef and fresh herbs.

Minced Pork with Coconut Milk and Curry

Minced pork dishes are known in different Asian cuisines. This quick way of cooking the meat, with lots of flavors and fresh ingredients, makes it perfect for a light lunch.
The version I have here was heavily inspired by the Thai cuisine, but it doesn’t follow any traditional recipe, and cannot be considered authentic/ethnic by any means.

Potatoes, Chicken, Onion and Herbs Patties

The following tasty patties are my variation of “Aruk”, potato-herbs patties from the Jewish-Iraqi cuisine, which are popular in Israel.

Turkey Burgers with Halloumi Cheese and Herbs

If you follow this blog for a while, you know by now that I hardly ever use store bought ground meat, and always prefer to grind it a home. However, as fresh turkey legs/thighs were not available for the turkey burgers I’ve had in mind, I went with the next best option: ground dark turkey meat from a local farm.

Pickled Mini Eggplants with Celery and Herbs

Finding these beautiful mini eggplants at the market, my first thought was to prepare my dish of mini eggplants stuffed with lamb (click HERE for the recipe). However, on second thought, I decided to go with a lighter direction, and use them to make quick pickles with fresh herbs.

Chicken Salad with Grapes, Tarragon, Mint and Walnuts

Chicken salad is a great dish for buffet-style relaxed entertaining. It can be prepared ahead of time, and tastes even better after chilling. It is easy to serve, and it pairs well with different dishes and salads.

Filo Bake with Spinach, Mint and Cheeses

This tasty dish was inspired by the two others: the Greek Spanakopita, (layers of filo brushed with oil, with greens with Feta cheese filling), and the Bulgarian Banitsa dish (in which the filo sheets are rolled with feta, yogurt and eggs mixture).

Shrimp and Pineapple Sweet and Sour Soup

I had variations of sweet and sour shrimps and pineapple soup in several Vietnamese restaurants, some were good, others less so. Yet, even with the lesser ones, I always liked the combination of flavors of the shrimps, pineapple, okra and hardly cooked tomatoes, and I decided to make this soup at home.

Kumato Tomatoes Stuffed with Beef, Fresh Herbs, Pine Nuts and Dried Currants

I am a big fan of tomatoes, in any shape or form, and I’m always looking for new varieties. With fresh summer tomatoes gone by now, the next option is to check which hothouse tomatoes are available at the store. When I saw the brownish-dark red Kumato tomatoes, I had to give them a try.

Multi Flour Lime, Banana and Mint Cake

This tasty cake started, once again, with a few ripe bananas that I needed to put into good use.

Chicken Thighs with Lemon, Fresh Herbs and Potatoes

Chicken thighs are my favorite part for roasting; once roasted, the meat is flavorful and juicy, while the skin turns crispy and tasty.