Celebrating the New Season of "Cooking School" on Facebook
I am so excited - the fifth season of my television series, "Martha Stewart's Cooking School" premieres this weekend on PBS!
This show teaches the basics of cooking while offering a huge variety of recipes, techniques, and my favorite kitchen tips and tricks. This season is even more special because it features the wonderful foods of the Arabian Gulf. I'll share coastal favorites such as calamari with vermicelli, lemon and herbs, and fish with tamarind sauce. I'll make a variety of kababs for all your summer entertaining, such as pomegranate skirt steak kebabs, lamb kebabs with yogurt-mint sauce, and beef, mushroom, and millet kebabs. And, I'll show you how to make some of the most delectable sweets from the Gulf, such as beehive buns, semolina coconut cake, sesame caramels, and brûléed saffron custards.
I hope you caught yesterday's Facebook LIVE, when I shared my twist on two delicious dishes from the show - a savory flatbread and a spicy herb-packed fava bean dip. If you missed it, just click on this highlighted link to our Facebook page.
And please tune-in to "Martha Stewart's Cooking School" - you will love every show! A big thanks to this season's sponsors - Al Jazeera and Qatar Airways. Enjoy these photos.
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- This new season of “Martha Stewart’s Cooking School” includes a 13-week series devoted to the foods of the Arabian Gulf. I’ll share stews, grilled favorites and everything you need to know about dates – a cornerstone of Gulf cuisine.
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- I am shooting this Facebook LIVE from our New York City headquarters in the Martha Stewart Living “Turkey Hill Kitchen”. I love this kitchen – it is so bright and spacious – we use it for many of our Facebook LIVE broadcasts. http://www.homedepot.com/c/SPC_BRD_MSL_Kitchen
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- These are Medjool dates, the most available dates grown in the United States. Medjool dates can be consumed fresh or dried, and are known to lower cholesterol and boost energy. They were used to sweeten our flatbread recipe.
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- The dates are soaked for about an hour and then made into a puree.
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- Once pureed, the date mixture is strained through a fine mesh sieve to make it very smooth.
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- We also used all-purpose flour for the mardouf flatbread. Watch my Facebook LIVE for the entire process.
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- This is ghee. Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in ancient India and is commonly used in South Asian, Iranian and Arabic cuisines. Here, it is used to make the mardouf dough and then as a coating on the rolled out mardouf before it is cooked.
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- One of the advantages of broadcasting these Facebook LIVE shows is how easy it is to shoot – all with an iPhone. Here are two members of our crew – James and Alex.
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- During my shows, I love answering questions from our viewing audience. These questions come to me LIVE through Facebook, and I answer them as soon as they are asked. One viewer asked about our countertops. These are quartz counters from my kitchen line exclusively at The Home Depot.
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- Here, I am rolling the mardouf into rectangles. I am using a straight stick rolling pin – my favorite kind of rolling pin.
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- On the counter, we display all the different spices we use during the show, such as coriander, chili powder, mustard powder, paprika, caraway, cinnamon and more.
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- This is the view I see from behind the counter during Facebook LIVE shows.
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- Once the mardouf is rolled out and sprinkled with chives, and brushed with ghee, it is put on the griddle until lightly browned – about a minute per side.
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- Here is the finished mardouf – everyone was so hungry. Mardouf is traditional Omani flatbread sweetened with dates, and infused with the flavors of saffron and fresh chives.
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- Next, I show how to make a great dip using fava beans.
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- Have you ever cooked with fava beans? My version of this delicious fava bean dip will quickly become a party favorite. First, I shell the fava beans, boil them and then remove the skins. It is a bit tedious, but worth the effort.
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- Here I am peeling fava beans – you can also use frozen fava beans.
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- Fava beans are full of nutrients. Also known as broad beans, fava beans have no saturated fat or cholesterol and contain a high concentration of thiamin, vitamin K, vitamin B-6, potassium, copper, selenium, zinc and magnesium. They are also an inexpensive source of lean protein.
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- Also part of our dip, or foul gellaba, a spicy herb-packed dip that hails from Saudi Arabia, is a mix of onions, garlic, cumin and jalepeno peppers cooked in olive oil.
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- The beans and onion mixture are combined with cilantro leaves and lime and then put through the food processor. It comes out a beautiful bright green and can be paired with delicious crudite – your guests will love it.
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- Thank you to our sponsor Al Jazeera owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network. Al Jazeera provides a fresh perspective on news stories from around the world – from more than 65-bureaus and more than 400-journalists from 60-countries. It’s a wonderful news source.
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- And thanks to our sponsor, Qatar Airways. Last year, I flew on Qatar to Qatar. Qatar Airways has such a friendly staff, beautiful aircraft, and incredible hospitality. It was a wonderful and relaxing experience. See my blog on my trip to Qatar, courtesy of Qatar Airways. http://www.themarthablog.com/2016/03/my-trip-to-doha-qatar.html
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- In this month’s “Living” magazine, my column features some of the other tasty recipes from our Arabian Gulf themed season on “Cooking School”. You’ll love every one of them. Be sure to take a look – the issue is on newsstands now.
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- For this season of “Cooking School”, we used experts in Arabian Gulf cuisine – they all loved our twist on traditional dishes – so will you!
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- This is a chilled mussel salad from our coastal favorites show – so full of flavor!
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- Each dish highlights the local catch, and combines it with mouth watering sauces and sides.
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- The Arabian Gulf’s world-class hospitality is shown in all these flavor-packed dishes – this lamb and stuffed cabbage is a perfect fit for a hungry dinner crowd.
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- I also do a show featuring grains – this mixed-grain pilaf with chicken is a big favorite.
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- And, I show you some exotic flavors you can introduce to guests during your next cookout. Your friends and family will love our kababs.
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- The best part – each inspired kebab is easy and fun to make!
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- And you’ll love all the tricks and tips I share for making your kababs the hit of the party.
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- During this new season of “Cooking School”, I’ll share great salad ideas full of appetizing Gulf ingredients. And to make it even better, “Martha & Marley Spoon” will feature several recipes inspired by this Season-5 in the upcoming weeks! Visit the web site to place your order today and use code GULF30 for $30 off your first order! This offer runs until May 31st. https://marleyspoon.com/
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- And don’t forget dessert – I do an entire show on the sweets of the Arabian Gulf.
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- Our Cooking School team worked so hard on this show – we all know you’ll love it.
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- Please watch my new season of “Martha Stewart’s Cooking School” on PBS – it premieres this weekend! Check local listings for times in your area.
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