This week we're going mad for OttolenghiMezze. Mezze can be a single appetiser, or a whole spread of appetisers or small plates, and such dishes lie at the very heart of Middle Eastern food. Popular mezze include hummus, baba ghanoush (a burnt aubergine puree), tabouleh and much more.
Whether you feel inclined to share just one mezze dish, or go all out and make a feast of it, you'll be sure to love this week's Mezze Madness. Choose a Yotam Ottolenghi dish (or several of them) from any one of his books, or online sources, and post your Mezze Madness recipe(s) by Sunday 4 August.
Don't forget to link your dish, as well as a thumbnail image, below. Please remember to leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you missed our Eggscellent theme last week, be sure to check out the links and get a taste of all the amazing "eggy goodness" everyone shared.
*** Don't forget to check out this month's Optional Monthly Community Recipe. This month we're making Harissa, and you'll also find a round up of last month's delicious Hummus recipes. You still have a few days (until 31 July) to submit your entries - just link them at the end of this post. This is a great way to join in cooking one recipe
as a group, to share your experiences and connect with other members of
the group. Do join us, and come back on 1 August for a round-up of all the Harissa posts and discover what we're doing for next month's community recipe. ***
This week it is Yotam Ottolenghi recipes that feature or include... The incredible, edible EGG!
Make and post your Eggscellent recipe by Sunday, July 28th!
Make sure it is a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe from online, one of his books . Don't
forget to link your dish with a thumbnail image, below. Please
remember to leave a comment after linking so that we don't miss out on
your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Please see our Welcome page. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you didn't check out the entries for last week's July Potluck, be sure to check out the links and see the fabulous dishes that were made.
*** Don't forget to check out this month's Optional Monthly Community Recipe. There is still time to join in! This month we're making Harissa, and you'll also find a round up of last month's delicious Hummus recipes. This is a great way to join in cooking one recipe
as a group, to share your experiences and connect with other members of
the group. Do join us. ***
Potluck is easily everyone's favorite week! This is the week where the choice is all yours! You can choose any Ottolenghi recipe or any recipe from one of our previous seven IHCC chefs:
Nigella Lawson
Mark Bittman
Giada de Laurentiis
Jamie Oliver
Tessa Kiros
Rick Bayless
Madjur Jaffrey
To join in just post and link your July Potluck dish from any one of our IHCC chefs by Sunday, July 21st. Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you missed ourFruitfull theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the fabulous "fruity" dishes everyone made.
*** Don't forget to check out the Optional Monthly Community Recipe - there's still a couple of weeks to get your entries done, and you can
post them using the linky at the end of this post. This month we're
makingharissa, with the added challenge of using harissa in an Ottolenghi recipe. This fun new IHCC feature is a
great way to join in cooking one recipe as a group, to share your
experiences and connect with other members of the group. ***
This week we're getting all fruity and dishing up Ottolenghi recipes that feature fruit, whether it be fresh, dried or frozen.
Maybe you want to get all sweet and make something for dessert ...
Date & Oat Bars
Maybe a crisp, fresh salad spiked with fresh or dried fruit ...
Baby Spinach Salad with Dates & Almonds
Or maybe a savoury dish where the fruit really plays a leading role appeals ...
Lamb-stuffed Quince with Coriander & Pomegranate
Whichever way you choose to go you will find a multitude of recipes to choose from in any one of Ottolenghi's books or online.
Just make sure your dish is a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe and that you post it by Sunday 14 July.
Don't forget to link your dish, as well as a thumbnail image, below. Please remember to leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you missed our Paint the Town Red theme last week, be sure to check out the links and get a taste of all the amazing "red food" everyone made.
*** Don't forget to check out this month's Optional Monthly Community Recipe. This month we're making Harissa, and you'll also find a round up of last month's delicious Hummus recipes. This is a great way to join in cooking one recipe
as a group, to share your experiences and connect with other members of
the group. Do join us. ***
June's Optional Monthly Community Recipe was hummus. There were several hummus recipes to chose from. Together we made quite a variety. Let's take a peek!
Joanne of Eats Well with Othersmade Hummus with Ful. According to Joanne this recipe is, "The hummus to end all hummus." Joanne's hummus is heavy on tahini, a paste made from sesame seeds, and topped with a ful (a fava bean mixture with cumin, lemon, and garlic). I love that Joanne's version of hummus has double the beans! Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!
Zosia of Are You Cooking? found a treasure trove of dried beans in her pantry so she tried her hand at Ottolenghi's Basic Hummus. Zosia says " It was unbelievably
smooth and the perfect consistency to use as a dip or spread. And the
flavour.....so much better than anything I'd ever bought. I served it
with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sumac. Loved it!" I really love the touch of sumac on top of Zosia's hummus. It adds such a pretty color
Joyce at Kitchen Flavours made Ottolenghi's Perfect Hummus. Joyce, who has always wanted to make hummus, says " Now I can understand what the fuss is all about in bloggerland about
Hummus, this is darn right delicious! And so, easy peasy to make! I love
it! I ate these delicious Hummus with some wholemeal tortilla wraps
which I toasted till crispy, yummy! We are so glad you were able to participate, Joyce!
My co-host Deb, of Kahakai Kitchen, made Butter Bean Purée with Dukkah & Egg. Deb's version of hummus is unique in that it was made with butter beans. Deb says, "Butter also describes the texture of this hummus-like purée--it's smooth and silky in a way that most chickpea hummus isn't." Deb's butter bean puree is finished with a really unique topping called dukkah (a tasty blend of nuts and seeds). Makes me hungry just looking at it!
My co-host Sue, of Couscous and Consciousness, made Hummus Kawarma (Lamb) with Lemon Sauce. Sue says, "Of course the hummus on its own is heavenly - still warm and velvety
with more tahini than I would have imagined - but top that with the
spicy lamb, lemon sauce, and buttered pine nuts, and you have, as
Ottolenghi says, "one of the most sensational things you can put in your
mouth". Nothing else needed but a few warm pita breads and a simple
salad. Eat with your hands!!" Sue has me craving this fantastic dish all over again!
My co-host Sue and I were on the same delicious page this month. Over in theStirring the Pot kitchen I also made Hummus Kawarma (Lamb) with Lemon Sauce. It was a real taste sensation! Velvety cloud-like hummus with flavorful crispy chunks of lamb topped with a bright and refreshing lemon sauce and glorious buttered and toasted pine nuts. Easily one of the best things you'll ever put in your mouth!
July's Optional Monthly Community Recipe is Harissa!!!
Harissa is a fiery chile sauce that defines North African cooking. In Tunisia, harissa takes the place of other seasonings, such as salt and pepper. Harissa is used to season everything from grilled meats, fish, roasted veggies, to soups and stews. Harissa is meant to be hot and spicy, but you can adjust the flavor by adding as little or as many red chiles as you'd like.
Harissa is very easy to make and keeps for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. You will find many uses for it. If you would like to participate in this month's Optional Monthly Community Recipe then go ahead and make one of Ottolenghi's versions of harissa (there is a recipe in both Plenty and Jersualem). Make and post your harissa, with the added challenge of using it in a recipe, on or by July 31st. Harissa would fit nicely into this week's theme, which is Paint The Town Red, but you can also post your harissa in place of any weekly theme during the month.
Please leave a comment below if you need a recipe for harissa and we will send it to you.
Click below for a quick video of Yotam Ottolenghi visiting a Tunisian market and learning about harissa.
**There is no linky on this post. Please link your recipes to the post below, titled Paint the Town Red.
Or at least it's time to make some Ottolenghi recipes that feature or include ingredients with a reddish hue! There are a wide variety of reds to choose from like rosy red apples, juicy pinky-red watermelon, crispy red and white radishes, sharp purplish-red onions, or scarlet-colored cherries or grapes. You could make a dish with red lentils, red meat or even red snapper. It's up to you! Just make sure it is a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe and that you post it by Sunday, July 7th.
Don't
forget to link your dish with a thumbnail image, below. Please
remember to leave a comment after linking so that we don't miss out on
your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Please see our Welcome page. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you didn't check out the entries for last week's Got a Pulse?theme, be sure to check out the links and see the fabulous bean, lentil & legume creations that were made.
