Apple pie, originally uploaded by ibeepix.

Ok, I’m a bit late, pi-day, 3/14, was yesterday, but still it’s a good reason to make a pie. Not that I really need a reason to make a pie. And I actually have an even better reason to make this pie: to thank my wonderful colleagues who gave me a 50mm lens. So guys: THANK YOU SO MUCH

Anyway, I made an apple almond pie, but this pie can easily be modified to your own taste. Simply change the apples to any fruit you want. My personal favorite is with raspberries, but since they were out of raspberries at the supermarket I decided to make the apple version.

Ingredients:
125g butter (at room temperature)
125g sugar (a mix of white and brown sugar)
125g almond powder
3 eggs
750g fruit (in this case apples and a few blackberries and cranberries)
dough for the crust (since I was feeling lazy today I bought it readymade, but this almond crust at Simply Recipes would be great too)

Preparation:
Preheat the oven at 200°C.
Mix the sugar and the butter for about 5 minutes in a food processor. Add the eggs and the almond powder and mix it for another 2 minutes.
If necessary cut the fruit in small slices.
Roll out the dough for the crust and line the pie dish with it. Add the fruit, and pour the almond mixture on top.
Bake for 40 minutes at 200°C.

Beets with feta, originally uploaded by ibeepix.

I’ve been dreaming of going to Marrakesh lately. Morocco is one of those countries that is not that far away (only about 4 hours flying), but that seems to be an entirely different world. I miss the hot, dusty roads in Asia, the colors and the smells of food made out in the streets. And since I’m unable to make any long trips right now because of work, a short trip to Marrakesh could just provide that what I’ve been missing.
Of course Morocco has many merits of its own. Food being one of them. Today I made this greatRoasted Red Beet Salad with Feta Cheese , inspired by the red beat salad they have in Mezze dishes in Morocco.

Ingredients:
1 bunch red beets
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup microgreens or baby greens, rinsed and dried
extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
Sea salt, to taste

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 200°C.

Tear or cut the beet tops from the beets, leaving about an inch of stalk attached. Wash and thoroughly dry the beets.

Place beets in a roasting pan or on a flat baking pan or sheet pan. Drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Roast for 30-45 minutes, depending on size and the desired doneness. Test for doneness after about 30 minutes of cooking by piercing the largest beet with a knife. If the knife easily enters the beet with only a small amount of resistance, it’s done. And the smaller ones will be, too.

Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes or so.

Slip the skins off the beets by hand. They should slip off easily, but you can use a paring knife on any stubborn spots. Just be careful not to cut away too much beet.

Cut the beets into 1cm dice and toss in a stainless steel mixing bowl with enough olive oil to coat them.

Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice of about half of it in to the bowl, gently stirring to combine and checking the flavor as you go.

Season to taste with sea salt.

Whisk together 3 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp lemon juice and toss the greens in this dressing in a separate bowl.

Spoon the beet mixture onto the center of a salad plate and top each portion with about 1 Tbsp of crumbled feta cheese and about ¼ cup of the dressed greens. Serve right away.

Last weekend I wanted to make one of my favorite Indian dishes, Malai Kofta. I usually eat this at a little Indian restaurant called ‘Spicy Affair’ in Rambuttri Street in Bangkok. Malai Kofta are fried potato balls with cashew nuts, paneer and spices in a spicy tomato gravy, and at the Spicy Affair it is absolutely delicious.
So I got a recipe for Malai Kofta on the internet and started making the potato balls and the gravy. But when I started frying the balls it all fell apart. I’m not sure what I did wrong but it all just broke apart. And the gravy was also not nearly as good as the gravy at the Spicy Affair. So I guess sometimes it’s better to leave the cooking to the pro’s, or at least learn it from a pro.

Lemon Mint Juice, originally uploaded by ibeepix.

Last weekend I wanted to make one of my favorite Indian dishes, Malai Kofta. I usually eat this at a little Indian restaurant called ‘Spicy Affair’ in Rambuttri Street in Bangkok. Malai Kofta are fried potato balls with cashew nuts, paneer and spices in a spicy tomato gravy, and at the Spicy Affair it is absolutely delicious.
So I got a recipe for Malai Kofta on the internet and started making the potato balls and the gravy. But when I started frying the balls it all fell apart. I’m not sure what I did wrong but it all just broke apart. And the gravy was also not nearly as good as the gravy at the Spicy Affair. So I guess sometimes it’s better to leave the cooking to the pro’s, or at least learn it from a pro.

Making Lemon Mint Juice, originally uploaded by ibeepix.

Lakhsman Jhula Rishikesh, originally uploaded by ibeepix.

Lemon mint juice is easy to make, all you need is a lemon or lime, some fresh mint leaves, water and sugar or honey. Juice the lemon, put it in a blender, add about a glass of water, the mint leaves and some sugar and blend it all together. And that’s it! So easy…

Lemon Mint Juice, originally uploaded by ibeepix.