Xmas:

Not every country celebrates Christmas, and even those that do don't always agree on the date. Some, like Holland, have it on December 5, St Nicholas Day, and many Orthodox Christians celebrate Epiphany on January 6th.

New Year varies too. In some Orthodox countries, it's January 14, Chinese Lunar New Year moves according to the lunar cycle, anywhere between late January and mid-February, and while most Western countries usually ring in the new year on January 1st, at midnight, Israel's New Year is in September.

One thing is common, though. People, the world over, enjoy these occasions and love to gather with friends and family. Food, fun and games, fireworks, gifts, more food - that's the common theme.

Here are two recipes you may want to put on file for next Christmas - or even sometime before that!

Fruit fondue & Chocolate Roulade

Yemen:

The Republic of Yemen is a country located in Western Asia, occupying the southwestern to southern end of theArabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east. Yemen is considered one of the poorest countries in the Arab world. Its capital and largest city is Sana'a.

Salmon Fishing in Yemen, from the beloved director of Chocolat and the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Slumdog Millionaire is an inspirational comedy that will have you laughing and crying, often at once.

A visionary sheik (Amr Waked) believes his passion for the peaceful pastime of salmon fishing can enrich the lives of his people, and he dreams of bringing the sport to the not so fish-friendly desert. Willing to spare no expense, he instructs his representative (Emily Blunt) to turn the dream into reality, an extraordinary feat that will require the involvement of Britain's leading fisheries expert (Ewan McGregor) who happens to think the project both absurd and unachievable. That is, until the Prime Minister's overzealous press secretary (Kristin Scott Thomas) latches on to it as a 'good will' story. Now, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.

Yoghurt:

(Pic: Wikimedia Commons)

Yoghurt's benefits, and even the recipe, are supposed to have been revealed to Abraham by an angel.

Like yeast, the culture that begins yoghurt is formed by attracting wild yeasts present in the air. We can hurry up that process by adding a little cultured yoghurt to some milk that is left at a warm temperature for several hours. Almost any milk may be used - skim, low-fat, whole milk - but it is important not to disturb it, so place the container somewhere with constant warmth (the top of a refrigerator, an airing cupboard, or in a yoghurt maker) and leave it until ready.

Once yoghurt has set, it should be refrigerated and stored as any other dairy product. It can be used instead of milk on cereals, with desserts or in baking, but remember that even though it looks creamy, it cannot substitute for cream in baked products because of its much reduced fat content.

Yoghurt contains only the fat content of the milk it was made from, so it can be very low if made from skim milk, but sweetened varieties can boost kilojoules enormously, so read the labels.

Yeast:

Yeast was mentioned as a medicine in l550 BC in an ancient papyrus. It is believed that an Egyptian had a lucky accident one day, when some unyeasted bread dough was left out in the sun. It formed natural yeasts and hey, presto! the baking and brewing industries were off running, so to speak.

Basically yeast is formed by trapping the wild yeasts that are in the air and grains. Sourdough works by leaving a starter of flour and milk at room temperature so that these yeasts can commence growing in it.

Early gold prospectors in Alaska were called 'sourdoughs' because they carried a small packet of starter to make their bread as their moved along. Today most bread is made using a commercially prepared yeast either in cake or granular form.

Fresh cake yeast (compressed yeast) should be a creamy off white colour with no brown spots. It should crumble easily and be used soon after purchase unless you wrap it firmly and refrigerate for a short time, or freeze it.

Dry yeast is more stable and may be kept airtight for months. Yeast should be dissolved in water and it then feeds off the carbohydrate in the bread mixture. It should never be exposed to high temperatures early in the process as this will kill the yeast and make it useless. Creaming it with sugar also kills some of the yeast and will result in an unpleasant yeasty flavoured bread.

Yeast is a good source of B vitamins and nutritional yeast (Torula or Brewers yeast) is often sold for this purpose, but is not suitable for baking. Because it is not palatable to everybody, yeast tablets are also available. Brewer's yeast added to pet's food, is said to help them combat fleas.

Make your own bread......it's simpler than you might think.

Za'atar:

(pic: Wikimedia Commons)

This blend of herbs, sesame seeds and salt can also refer to a type of oregano. Used in Arab cuisine, both the herb and spice mixture are popular throughout the Middle East. In other countries it is available from grocers and provedores selling Middle Eastern ingredients.

Za'atar is generally prepared using a combination of ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, mixed with toasted sesame seeds, and salt, though other spices such as sumac might also be added.

Use it on flat breads, drizzled with olive oil, or as a seasoning for meats and vegetables or sprinkled onto hummus. It is also eaten with labneh (yogurt drained to make a tangy, creamy cheese), and bread and olive oil for breakfast, most commonly in Jordan, Israel, Syria, and Lebanon, as well as other places in the Arab world. The Lebanese speciality shanklish, dry-cured balls of labneh, can be rolled in za'atar to form its outer coating.

Zucchini:

Zucchini's name means 'little sweetness' and, rather than being endearing, refers more to this vegetable's slightly sweet flavour.

One of the Mediterranean's few contributions to the Americas, the seeds were transported by Christopher Columbus and now have become a favourite worldwide.

These tiny members of the squash family have plenty of vitamin C and make a pretty addition to vegetable platters. They may be roasted whole, or stuffed and baked, grated, or sliced and then fried. Even their flowers may be stuffed with a savoury mixture and then fried or poached in broth. They are most plentiful in summer and should be refrigerated and used promptly.

The flowers may be stuffed, sometimes dipped in batter, and baked or fried for a delicious dish. See this recipe....