Oriental Fennel Chicken

By Julie

I am a big fan of fennel. To my dismay, the Spanish are not. I cannot find it anywhere here.   But this week, I had enough. I ordered it from my Ukrainian grocers of choice who normally are my ginger dealers as ginger turns out be also on the list of the less popular foods in Northern Spain. Anyway, there it was, immaculately white and green, simply appetizing and waiting for me to turn it into something delicious. You don’t even need much turning, as fennel is incredibly versatile - a friend of mine cuts it up and eats it raw from a bowl, a bit like crisps but healthy. My baby daughter has had it steamed in combination with apple and chicken or a mashed banana, she loves it and on top, it has huge calming benefits for her little tummy.

One fennel classic is a salad with orange slices and black olives, which inspired me to the following recipe. I like the quirk of the Kashmiri cuisine to add dried fruit to rice and meat dishes, so I incorporated it here to give it an Oriental flair. However, if you don’t believe in mixing savoury food with sweet flavours, you can replace the dried fruit by black olives. Now go on, off to the kitchen!

© Diana Chaccour

Chocolate Cherry Muffins

By Diana

There are certain days when I only need to cook. It doesn't matter if I have a deadline or if I have to run to work in the following hour, the only thing that I am sure about is that cooking will just make my day better. Stepping into the kitchen and following -creatively- a recipe, generates a satisfaction comparable to the one artists feel when a piece is completed. The difference is that the culinary work of art doesn't remain in a mere contemplative state but it goes back inside, to feed the hungry spirit, and better yet, the lucky spirits of the  ones whose kitchen coincides with the culinary artist's studio.

The following recipe is the result of one of those days. It happens to integrate seasonal cherries and chocolate, a combination which I am sure most of you will love as much as I do.  At the end you will have six satisfactory muffins resting in your kitchen, so you can carry on with your routine with the tranquillity that at least a good work was done today. 

© Diana Chaccour

Strawberry Gazpacho

By Diana

One of my first holiday memories is the trip to the World Expo Sevilla in the summer of 1992 with my family. I remember it was so hot that there were fountains of water coming out of the side walks, just to offer tourists a refreshment in the maniac collective perspiration. Besides remembering my brother and I running, and splashing the water desperately, one of the details recorded in my mind is the sales of gazpacho in the street. By that time I had no idea what gazpacho meant and I am sure I didn't like tomatoes either, but trying out the first traditional cold soup of my life certainly had its consequences.

What I am presenting here is a seasonal version of Gazpacho, product of a few  afternoons researching at the book shop in Wimbledon and of course, my endless -and helpless- trials with strawberries in the kitchen. This is certainly not one of the failed ones. Try it out. I promise you that it will be a unique, pleasurable and refreshing experience!

© Diana Chaccour

Watermelon Citric Granita

By Diana

Appreciating seasons is something I have learnt to do since I came to the UK. My home is a tropical country which weather is divided only in rainy and dry season, and frequently - and weirdly enough- we end up having both at the same time, making everything even more chaotic than how it is already. However we Venezuelans don't talk about it as much as British do talk about their own weather, maybe because it doesn't ruin our crops -or our budgets that are ruined enough. The continuity of the temperature -yes, about 27C all year long- allow us Venezuelans to access fruits like passion fruit and watermelon from January to December. And because it is very hot, we enjoy ourselves and our thirsty appetites with these so called exotic produce -and at reasonable and continuous prices-. What I mean is that the prices do not depend on the season but what is worst, they depend on our politics...

Anyway.. in Britain I had to wait months before buying a £1 watermelon, and I was so exited to have it in my fridge last week -in my new spacious fridge that can actually fit a watermelon without sacrificing the bread- that I decided to celebrate it by posting a summery watermelon granita that I hope you all enjoy!

© Diana Chaccour

Asparagus and Dried Cherry Tomatoes Couscous

by Diana

I have never been a couscous kind of person. Instead, I grew up watching my beloved Syrian grandma using wheat of different sizes for cooking delicious Middle Eastern dishes -still pending for a book- that we all enjoyed on Sundays. Whenever I saw someone eating couscous I just felt pity, thinking it was a poor version of wheat in its smallest form. Yes, I was young and ignorant I must say!

It is until I discovered large grain couscous when I realized what I was missing. I started experimenting with this structured and substantial grain in our everyday menu, in exchange for rice, pasta or any other common carbohydrate. The results and flavours were so rich that I finally decided to adapt the lovely grain to my kitchen shelves, right behind the wheat of course, so my grandma won't be offended. 

So for this post I decided to show you -if you don't know already- how versatile couscous can be and I combined it with asparagus and cherry tomatoes, lots of olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. The result.. just a delight! 

© Diana Chaccour