Blog — Nourish

Livio generously shares another family recipe.  This time it is from his Italian side, homemade potato gnocchi.   Ingredients: For 6 - 8 Persons 1 Kilo of Potatoes 150/200 grams White Flour 2 Egg Yolk  3 Pinch Salt 2 Pinch Pepper Boil the potatoes, set them to cool. Once manageable, peel them and then mash them either using a potato masher or by simply by using a fork. Add the salt, pepper and egg yolk to the mashed potatoes and continue to mash. Slowly scatter the flour over the mixture and knead until you gradually achieve a dough like consistency.  It is always best to use your hands!  Then once you’ve made what feels like dough, take a handful of your mixture...

Ingredients: 3 eggs  Dijion Mustard Sunflower Oil ( a lot ) Lemon juice Method : STEP 1  Tip the egg yolks and mustard into a bowl, season with salt and pepper and whisk together until completely combined. Whisking constantly, drizzle a small drop of oil and whisk until completely combined, then drizzle a little more and continue to drizzle a little at a time until the yolks and oil combine and start to thicken. Once you’re confident the oil and eggs are coming together you can add a little more oil at a time, but be patient, as adding the oil too quickly will cause the mayonnaise to split and curdle.  STEP 2  Once all the oil has been whisked into the eggs...

Every Friday morning, I go to the market in my area to shop for the whole week.  Fresh food only!  I have my favourite market farmer, it is a family who grow their own vegetables right outside Paris. I am happy to buy good quality seasonal vegetables.  The best  cheesemaker, who also sells fresh eggs and yogurt, loves to tell the story behind every cheese.  I love the apple seller, an old sweet woman who sells apples all year long. Trust her, she will choose the best apples mix for you to make an apple compote. I buy fish or meat alternatively, excellent quality of product.  The vendors love and respect their work, and I am happy to support them...

As kids, my sister and I would be prepped for Ramadan way in advance.  My parents, simple and true to their faith would dress us up in the traditional jhablu ijaar (a simply embellished salwar kameez) with a cap that sit atop your head.  We’d follow mum into the mosque, staying close, not to get lost in the throngs of followers ready to offer prayers in unanimity and get a morsel into their bellies. We’d sit on either sides of mum (together we’d create a ruckus) and wait for the first faraz (first part of namaz) to end. Like clockwork, steaming trays of chai (a sweet tea with the right touch of milkiness) along with local cookies would be served...

Growing up I thought it was sacrilegious to have fish in Ramadan.  The reason for that was, whenever my mom would decide to make or order fish for futoor, (the meal you have to break your fast), I would always hear my dad saying in revolt “fish in Ramadan?!”.   So, I stuck with his reasoning, and decided not to eat fish during the holy month and stick to my favorite tashreeb dish.  However, one day I wanted a change so when fish was made, I had a little.  It was as delicious just as it usually tastes on non-Ramadan days.  Apparently, people specifically my father, do not like to eat fish when they fast because it makes you thirsty when...

Ingredients 20 Red Chili (Can go up to 40 if you’re brave) 1 cup plain yoghurt 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 5 teaspoons of ground fresh coriander 1 teaspoon ground turmeric powder 3 tablespoons of ground garlic 3 medium onions thinly sliced 5 green cardamom pods 3 black cardamom pods 1 Lamb Shank Olive Oil Butter (because Livio loves it!) Directions Discard the stems and deseed the dry chills, let them soak in water for fifteen minutes. Then mix the yoghurt, coriander, turmeric and chilies together and let this mixture rest for ten minutes. In a heavy pan heat some olive oil and add the garlic until fragrant, then add the onions, cardamom pods and stir fry on medium heat until...

From the Tuscan hills, where this dish is absolutely not from (it’s a Roman dish), Livio is going to teach us how to make the perfect Cacio e Pepe. One of those simple dishes that really makes you feel like you can’t cook, because although it comprises of exactly three ingredients it is extremely difficult to master. This is for those of you who like a good challenge. Ingredients for Four People  A handful of peppercorns, either ground in a mill or a mortar and pestle Pecorino, approximately 150 grams Spaghetti 500 grams (good quality) Coup de main Method Grind the pepper in a mortar with a pestle or using a pepper mill, ideally you should end up with around...

Léa and Nur first met when Lea was running an art gallery in Beirut called The Running Horse, she is one of those people who is so passionate about what they do, that you can't help but fall under the same spell. Her gallery was sexy, in the middle of the industrial area in Karantina. When visiting you really felt that you were part of something new and exciting. The Léa Effect. Nothing however, was as exciting as when Léa would invite you home for dinner. When that happened you canceled all plans because you knew that something special was going to happen to all of  your senses. The woman can cook. Luckily she has taken the leap of culinary...

Feeding loved ones and and setting tables is a joy!  Setting different moods for different occasions is always exciting! Here are a couple of settings to create for different occasions.      A Lebanese breakfast, with a falafel as the main dish with hummus and other mezze staples on the side.  The sandwiches take center stage on our Green Marble Arabesque Tray.   There's nothing like grilled fresh fish with sides of grains and veggies.  Food is kept warm on our Chafing Dishes.   Who can say no to sweet delights!  Fresh flowers always add the perfect touch to a desert table especially around our Star Cake Stand.  As the weather cools down, we love to have some hot tea or coffee with...

This subject is close to our hearts, literally. So, we wanted to approach it in a meaningful and impactful way. Let’s face it, we all have to be aware of it, so here are some tips and pointers we’ve accumulated for ourselves! Keeping a healthy lifestyle, exercising, limiting saturated fats and maximizing on foods rich in antioxidants are all helpful to keep breast cancer at bay. Good Food List: Leafy Greens, citrus fruits, fatty fish, berries, fermented foods, allium veggies (whatever that means), peaches, apples, pears, cruciferous vegetables, beans and spices! Let’s try to go completely organic or go home, keep those pesticides and hormones out of our systems.  We really try to stick to it, it’s difficult but it’s also...