Vegetable frittata (makes 20 canapés)
1 medium potato, peeled
1 leek (white part only), chopped
1 medium aubergine
2 courgettes
3 large eggs, beaten
1 tbsp chopped basil
1 tbsp grated Parmesan
10g butter, at room temperature
salt and black pepper
olive oil
Slice the potato lengthways into 2cm-thick pieces and cook in salted water for five minutes, drain and set aside. Sauté the leek in a tablespoon of oil for three minutes, or until soft.
Slice the aubergine and courgette lengthways into 2cm-thick pieces and cook in a little oil for two minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°c/ gas mark 4. Mix the eggs, basil and Parmesan together and season with salt and black pepper. Brush the bottom of an eight-inch (20cm) loaf tin with butter. Arrange a layer of potato across the base, pour over a little egg mix, then add a layer of aubergine, followed by layers of red pepper, leek and courgette, adding a little egg mix between each one.
Transfer to the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool, then cut into 2cm by 2cm squares and serve at room temperature.
Bharat spiced lamb loin with endive and walnut dressing (makes 20 canapés)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lamb loin, trimmed of fat and sinew
1 tbsp Bharat spice mix
3 tbsp walnut oil
1 tbsp red vinegar
2 endives, trimmed, washed and dried
20 walnut halves, toasted
salt and black pepper
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Roll the lamb in the spice mix, then place in the pan and cook for two minutes on each side. Cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for five minutes.
Whisk together the walnut oil and red vinegar and season with salt and black pepper. Slice the lamb into thin rounds and place a piece in the centre of each endive leaf. Top the meat with a walnut half and drizzle over the walnut vinaigrette just before serving.
Cinnamon spiced confit duck in pastry cases (makes 25 canapés)
2 confit duck legs (buy them ready cooked from your butcher or supermarket)
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, peeled and finely diced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp saffron
1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 hard boiled egg, chopped
25 small butter or filo pastry cases (shop bought is fine)
2 tbsp quince jelly
3 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted
icing sugar, for dusting
Warm the duck legs through in the oven or on the stove, remove the skin and shred the meat into pieces.
Place a pan containing the butter over a medium heat. Add the onion and sauté gently for four to six minutes, until softened.
Mix the onion, cinnamon, saffron, parsley, egg and duck meat together in a bowl and season with black pepper.
Place a small dot of quince jelly in the base of each pastry case, then fill with the spiced duck mixture. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds and dust with icing sugar just before serving.
Citrus-cured salmon (makes 20 canapés)
340g smoked or cured salmon
1 lime, zest and juice
For the dressing:
1 Lebanese cucumber, peeled, deseeded and finely diced
1 stick celery, peeled and finely diced
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and finely diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
small red onion, peeled, finely diced
1 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
1 tbsp dill, finely chopped
1 lemon, juice only
olive oil and red vinegar (to taste)
black pepper
Leave the salmon to marinate in the lime juice and zest for a few hours or overnight. Slice into thin strips and roll up to form little wheels.
For the dressing, mix all the fresh ingredients together in a bowl and season with olive oil, red vinegar and black pepper. Arrange the rolls on a large plate, spoon over the dressing and serve.
Lobster croquettes (makes 25 to 30 canapés)
35g butter
35g flour
435ml milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for deep frying
6 button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and finely diced
300g cooked lobster meat (crab or prawn could be used instead), finely chopped
150g plain flour
4 large eggs, beaten
340g breadcrumbs (panko breadcrumbs work best)
Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat, add the flour and cook for six minutes, until light brown. Stir in the milk, bring to the boil briefly, then remove the pan from the heat.
Place a frying pan over a medium heat, add two tablespoons of vegetable oil, followed by the chopped onion and cook for three to four minutes. Increase the heat slightly, add the mushrooms and cook until all the liquid that is released has evaporated.
Stir in the lobster meat (or crab or prawns), add the white sauce and season with salt and black pepper. Pour into a tray lined with cling film and place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Tip the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs into individual bowls. Roll the cooled lobster mixture into walnut-sized balls. Dip the balls first into the flour, followed by the eggs and finally the breadcrumbs.
Half-fill a deep, thick based saucepan with vegetable oil and heat until a small piece of bread sizzles and turns golden brown in 30 seconds (190°C/375°F if you have a thermometer). Add the breadcrumbed balls and cook for three minutes, until crisp and light golden brown. Drain well and serve warm.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
SPECS
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Opening Rugby Championship fixtures:Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
Pakistan World Cup squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez(subject to fitness), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain
Two additions for England ODIs: Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali
Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
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The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
More from Armen Sarkissian
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
The currency conundrum
Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”
Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.
This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
Genesis G80 2020 5.0-litre Royal Specs
Engine: 5-litre V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 505Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L/100km
Price: Dh260,500
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
