Sides – airinie

How-to: Clean Artichoke Flowers

Artichokes. I recently saw some artichoke flowers at the supermarket, and I have always been interested in having them fresh. I usually get artichoke hearts ready prepared and marinated in a jar, or cleaned and frozen, read-to-cook versions (just add lemon, etc.). So, impulse buying artichoke flowers, I set out to learn and attempt to…

George’s Gavros Marinatos

To continue with the salt theme (I just posted my trip to a salt mine in Bex, Switzerland), this a featured recipe from my husband, George. He made this wonderful salted fish for us to store in the fridge and to have it as a side dish that goes really well with soups like bean…

Hummus

I am a late convert to hummus. The first time I had hummus, I must have been in my early 20’s. It have to say that it was one of those lightly flavoured Tesco ones – with red pepper or avocado or something similar. I remember splurging on a rather expensive tub of hummus from…

Chicken Liver Curry

Chicken Liver Curry is something I occasionally crave for. It is my go-to meal when my body goes through the ‘red-meat’ craving moment. It is a rather dry curry, and it’s flavour is quite unique. It is a cheap source of meat and very high in iron. I know there are times when you think…

Makmah-inspired Mango Pickle

This pickle, or acar as we like to call it in Malaysia, is inspired by Makmah’s famous Mango Pickle. It is sweet (from the mangoes), salty, spicy and sour all at the same time. Recently for the month of Ramadan, Makmah’s mango pickle “Acar Mangga” has been for sale at certain Ramadan Bazaar’s around Ampang. My…

Herb Rice

This dish is inspired by my recent trip to Kuala Lumpur and my quest to find the perfect Nasi Ulam. Everywhere I went, I looked for Nasi Ulam and/or Nasi Kerabu. I went to several places, and I would say that it was an incomplete/unsatisfactory quest. I did manage to eat Nasi Kerabu, and a Kerabu…

Cheese Scones

I have returned! And I got a wonderful gift from my mother – cheese from Holland. It’s Gouda, it’s called boerenkaas or farmer’s cheese – a protected form of Gouda made in the traditional way, using unpasteurized milk. She got me 2 types, one is young and light (pictured above!) and the other is quite matured,…

Greek Yoghurt Waffles

Last Sunday, I went to Zampano’s or brunch with Alison and Eliza. You can read more about it here. But it has also gotten me thinking about making my own waffles. I have never made them – always had them in eating establishments or even frozen ones, but I have never made batter and cooked…

Holiday Season in Athens

This holiday season was a blast! My sister came on Christmas Day, and we went up North to the mountain cabin to spend a few days there. We expected cold weather, but what we got was a very warm autumn. It got cold as we left the North to return to Athens, and it got…

Mango Salsa

Salsa is something I love to make with leftover tomatoes that I find in the fridge. The other is tabbouleh. It is a very refreshing and summery side dish that you can serve with grilled fish or chicken. Or with nachos. You can add more chillies if you like it spicier. The coriander makes…

Sweet Potato Fries

I do like to ‘roast’ potatoes in the oven (oven-fry?). It’s a healthier version that actually frying them in oil, and I like the crunchy texture that you get when you bite into the potato. I have made a version of this with green bananas, and sweet potatoes cook faster than usual. The day…

Celeriac and Potato Au Gratin

I recently bought a small black ceramic baking dish from Tiger. I love that store. If I was a rich girl, I will buy everything I love from that store and just create a little Mad Hatter Tea Party all for myself. Now, that’s an idea… Back to the baking dish – it was…