The UAE is not exactly famed for its local produce, and most of our meals tend to be made almost entirely using imported foodstuffs. So buck the trend this week, and create one of these delicious dishes for each day this week, all of which are based around locally sourced ingredients.
Dates
This rich, sweet cake is one of the most indulgent treats we’ve ever baked. Plus, if it has dates in it you can count it as one of your five a day… can’t you? No?
Sticky date cake with caramel sauce (serves 8)
Ingredients
250g pitted dates, chopped
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 ½ cups boiling water
125g butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
Caramel sauce
1 cup brown sugar
300ml thickened cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
60g butter, chopped
Preparation
1) Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 7cm deep, 22cm (base) cake pan and line base with baking paper.
2) Place dates and bicarbonate of soda in a heatproof bowl, and pour the boiling water over the mixture. Allow to stand, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the dates are tender.
3) Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Using a large metal spoon, stir in the date mixture and flour. Mix until well combined.
4) Spoon the mixture into a cake pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand for 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack.
5) Make the caramel sauce by combining sugar, cream, vanilla and butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Cook, stirring, for three minutes or until boiling. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer for two minutes. Pour warm sauce over warm cake.
Honey
Choose the UAE’s intense, floral sidr honey for biscuits that have an extra powerful flavour. These biscuits are best eaten warm with ice cream and extra honey drizzled on top… just a suggestion…
Sweet cinnamon honey biscuits (serves four)
Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oil/shortening
½ cup honey
¾ cup milk
1 egg
Preparation
Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir in oil, honey, milk and egg. Mix until dry ingredients are completely moistened. Bake at 450°C on a greased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Glaze with honey and butter once cooled.
Lamb
A staple of the Middle Eastern diet, there’s barely a menu in the city that doesn’t feature the flavoursome meat of locally reared lamb. If you’re planning a barbecue or dinner party, this dish is ideal – quick, easy and delicious
Grilled lamb chops with pomegranate sauce (serves four-six)
Ingredients
For the lamb
2lbs lamb chops
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
For the sauce
¾ cup ketchup
3 tbsp of pomegranate syrup
(see below)
2 tbsp honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar
½ cup yellow onion, minced
For the pomegranate syrup
8 cups pomegranate juice
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
Preparation
1) In a saucepan, heat the pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice to a medium heat. Allow to cook for 45 minutes-1 hour, until it is a thick, syrupy consistency.
2) In a separate small saucepan, add all the ingredients for the sauce, including the pomegranate syrup. Bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for approximately five minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
3) Sprinkle salt and black pepper over the lamb chops. Place the lamb chops on a heated grill and allow to cook for five-seven minutes on each side.
4) About two minutes before the lamb chops are finished, use the sauce to baste them on each side.
5) Serve with fresh salad, Arabic bread and rice.
Hammour
Everyone loves a bit of this meaty, cod-like fish, and we reckon the lemon and pepper does wonders for hammour’s subtle flavour
Lemon and pepper baked hammour (serves two)
Ingredients
700g hammour fillet
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp turmeric powder
¾ tsp cumin powder
2 cloves garlic, peeled, washed and finely chopped
1 ½ tsp oil
2 ¼ tsp fresh lemon juice
Preparation
1) Place fish fillets in a bowl and sprinkle with salt, turmeric, black pepper, garlic and cumin powder, tossing to coat well.
2) Cover and marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature or longer in the refrigerator.
3) Preheat oven to 200°C.
4) Coat the bottom of the baking dish with oil.
5) Place the fish in a single layer and pour the marinade over it.
6) Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.
7) The fish should be firm to touch – it’s ready when it easily flakes with a fork. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve.
Camel Milk
If you haven’t tried it before, you might balk at the thought of slugging down camel milk – it has a very strong taste. But the sugar and cardamom in this recipe make it a very palatable, comforting bedtime drink
Hot camel milk drink (serves 6)
Ingredients
6 cups fresh camel’s milk
1 tsp saffron
2-3 tsp sugar
½ tsp cardamom or nutmeg
Preparation
Pour milk and sugar into a pot and bring to the boil at a low heat. Add the saffron and cardamom or nutmeg and boil for 2-3 minutes. Add more sugar if desired to sweeten further. Serve in warmed mugs.
Tomatoes
A simple Abu Dhabi classic, this fresh and zingy side salad goes perfectly with grilled meats or as part of a selection of mezze
Arabic Tomato Salad (serves 4)
Ingredients
3 medium finely diced tomatoes
1-2 finely diced cucumber
1 small diced onion (optional)
1 finely diced green onion
1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
or 1 teaspoon dried mint
1 crushed garlic clove (optional)
½ bunch chopped fresh parsley
Juice of two lemons
salt and pepper (pepper is optional)
¼ cup olive oil
Preparation
Super-easy! Just mix all ingredients together, and it’s ready to serve, although it tastes best when it’s been marinated for 30 minutes.
Quail
You can buy locally farmed quail from Al Ain’s Al Semman Farm – the birds are 100 per cent hormone-free, and they don’t use artificial growth promoters (AGPs) or antibiotics
Roast quail (serves 4)
Ingredients
4 quail
Salt
1 cup water
Pepper
1 cup sour cream
Preparation
1) Dress the quail and wash thoroughly inside and out with cold water.
2) Rub each bird inside and out with salt and pepper, then place in roasting pan with water.
3) Roast in 450°C oven for 30 minutes, basting every five minutes.
4) When quail and gravy are nicely browned pour some sour cream over the top of the quail.
5) Let the cream bubble in the quail pan for one minute, then baste the quail once more.
6) Serve with gravy poured over the quail.
Farmer’s Market coming to Abu Dhabi!
Interested in locally sourced produce? Like the thought of cooking with fresh ingredients with a low carbon footprint? Well we’re pleased to tell you that Ripe Farmer’s Market is opening next month in Abu Dhabi, and will be selling organic veggies, biscuits, cakes, preserves, pâté and dips from local producers, as well as arts and crafts. They still have vacancies for boutique food producers, artists and crafters at the market, so contact susan@ripeme.com if you’re interested in taking part.
Ripe’s Food and Craft Market will open in Abu Dhabi on November 18. The market will run weekly at the Desert Garden Centre in Khalifa Park from 9.30am-1pm. Visit www.ripeme.com for more information.
