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Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Cooking with Farmers Market Produce for a Dinner Party
Comments (0) | Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Coming back home I thought that I would be depressed for bit. Travelling for a while tempers with the idea of home. What I didn't take into account was the comfort of being home and how meaningful it becomes after being away from it for a while.
As our return date was August, also a nice welcome was the fresh new vegetables- this is the season for tomatoes, corn and more. Some zucchini flowers are still out.
What is fascinating is how fresh produce is much easier to work with. As the produce tastes as itself, (which majority of store bought fruits and vegetables do not) the advantage of cooking with these ingredients is the less you have to do with them.
We had a small dinner upcoming. With the ingredients from the farmer's market I produced a simple but filling (and mostly vegetarian/vegan) menu.
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| An idea for appetizers is to do something inspired by a trip you recently took. Here is a Scandinavian starter plate I made with random stuff that reminded me of my trip to Sweden- blueberry chutney, fresh rye bread (buy a box from ikea), pickles, and Norwegian cheese |
The menu included the following--- Swisschord kale borek, roasted vegetable and basil salad, heirloom corn tomatoes as appetizers-- Main course is hunkar begendi an eggplant mash usually topped with lamb but I replaced the lamb with wine cooked mushroom mix-- desert was cracked into pieces chocolate bars served next to farmers'market bought fresh rasberries. All takes few minutes to cook and rely on the natural taste of the vegetables. A few rules though:
ALWAYS KEEP A BOTTLE OF NICE OLIVE OIL. like the fresh vegetable the nice olive oil speaks for itself.
DO NOT OVER SPICE. the key to cooking with fresh grown vegetables are to let them be. one or two spices or herbs per dish is the way to go.
Let start with the appetizers.---
WHEN I DO THE SHOPPING LISTS I ASSUME THAT YOU HAVE BASIC SPICES SO THEY ARE NOT ON THAT LIST. TO ENSURE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING READ THROUGH THE RECIPES.
GREENS BOREK
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| This is the golden color you are looking for in your borek. Topped with blacksesames it is good warm or cold! |
Shopping list: Turkish yufka, a block of cheap feta, packaged or fresh greens(swiss chard, kale and spinach will work), plain yoghurt (small), 1-2 eggs, olive oil
Where does the borek come from? The South Slavs call it burek - us turks call it borek. It is almost a filo dough dish and you can make it with filo although this recipe is with yufka- turkish version of filo dough- thicker when bought in the us in vacuum packs. You can buy it online.
To wet filo pieces: mix one egg, 1-2 tablespoons of oil (vegetable or olive oil), 1-2 tablespoons of unflavored yoghurt, a cup of water- whisk this combo.
When you buy the yufka it is somewhat stuck together. You can seperate small pieces. You are trying to make layers. You should use the dough so that you put as much in the buttom as you would put on top. If the sheets seperate don't worry. Do a patch work as you wet them they will come together. Before you put your filling in a rectagular baking dish of medium to large size do two-three layers of the though in ways it would fit your pan. Each layer you lay should be topped with the liquid mixture you describe above. You can use your hands so the filling seeps through the dough.
Filling: Mix store or farms market bought of greens of your choice. I used two bags of spinach and kale pre-packed from Trader's Joe. Add a tiny bit of water so that it wilts the greens. A spoonful of olive oil. Close and stir here and there. This should take approximately 5 minutes. Mix the greens as the parts in the bottom small down. After 5-10 minutes when your greens are cooked (1) get rid of excess water (you can drain your grains and put them back to the pot) (2) get a block of the cheapest feta you bought from the store (any kind) crumble it on top and mix when it is hot with the greens.
Put the filling on top of the first two layers. Distribute evenly. Then put another 2-3 layers of the dough. Repeat the same way- a layer and the liquid press with your fingers make sure that the liquid is all around. Pour whatever is left of your liquid to the top layer. You can always make more of the liquid mixture if it runs out.
Optional: top it with black sesames if you can get a hold of it.
BLACK SESAMES ARE AMAZING FOR BAKING!
Preheat oven at 350-375 F. Bake your borek for 40-50 minutes in a preheated oven. When the top is golden your borek is ready.
HEIRLOOM AND CORN SALAD
Shopping List: 3-4-5 heirloom tomates, 3-4 corns, 1 lime, olive oil
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This has no recipe really.
Buy the best heirloom tomatoes at your farmers market. Bring them home and wash them.
Buy corn from the same market (the season is ending - be quick)
Boil a pot of water. Add your corn (3 or so) to the boiling salted water (add salt too I forgot) and cook for 10-12 minutes in medium heat. Take the corn out of the water. Cut the kennels of the whole corn.
Cut your heirloom tomates however you like. I usually just rid it of its hard parts and cut based on the shape of the tomatoes I have.
Mix your corn with tomatoes. Salt it to your liking. With salt because it is based on personal taste I think less is always better. A bit of cracked pepper. Add a generous bit of good olive oil. (1-2 tablespoons not a cup by the way when I say generous) Squeeze the juice of a lime on top (I don't know why but I think lime goes better with heirlooms) IF you have it get a cilantro(fresh) Just take of 5-6 leaves and leave it on top of your already mixed salad.
ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD
Shopping List: 2-3 zucchinis, 3-4 bell peppers, 4 red potatoes, 2 red onions, a bunch of fresh basil, garlic, olive oil
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I baked my farmers market bought vegetables as soon as they were bought. This was fresh zucchini and bell peppers. I revisited the market the day my dinner party was and bought some red potatoes and 2 med size red onions. Baking depends on the vegetable. High heat (400 F) is your friend and checking your vegetables is what you should do. I baked zucchini and bell peppers together (took about 30 minutes as I like a crunch on my zucchini) and cut up the potatoes in equal size and wedges from onions (took about 40 minutes) Before you bake drizzle top with coarse salt and olive oil.
That is it. You can keep this in the refrigrator and use it for whatever. But if you are making the salad I made, mix all your roasted vegetables together. I bought fresh basil leaves and coarsely chopped about 8-10 leaves. I minced a garlic clove and added that to my nice olive oil-(1-2 tablespoons) added onto that the juice of a half a lemon. Quickly whisk and make a vinegratte. Add on top of your vegetables. Top it with the fresh basil and that is it. You have divine and filling salad.
As for the Main Courses...
HUNKAR BEGENDI (Eggplant Mash)
Shopping List: 1-2 large eggplants for baking, flour, milk, butter, a bit of grated cheese (what would work: mozarella or kashkaval)
This is simple but divine. Hunkar begendi in Turkish means the king liked it and he liked it for a reason. Eggplants are used a lot in Turkey and this mash - a perfect sub for mashed potatoes tastes amazing. Great to serve with meat- if you are a faux vegetarian like myself for cleansing purposes are also a great bed for grilled or sauteed warm vegetable dish. In this case I will not include the recipe but I just topped mine with sauteed mushrooms (portabello and crimini) with dryed thyme, salt pepper, olive oil and a touch red or white wine).
Bake one or two of the fat big eggplants you buy from the farmers market. Before you make make small knife marks around your eggplant letting air in. Just stick a knife in and out around the eggplant. Preheat oven in 400F. Slightly rub your egplant w olive oil and salt. Put it in. Move the eggplant to its different sides every 10-15 minutes (total around 40-50 minutes depending on the size of your eggplant) When it is cooked the hard fat eggplant should feel mushy inside. I prepare big bath of cold water with ice, squeeze a lemon inside and put the eggplants in there. Let it cool. Once cold -- cut the stem of the eggplant and clean it off its outside. The remaining insides of the eggplants you put in a cutting board and chop as fine as you can.
In the meantime -- in a pot- melt a tablespoon of butter and add to that a tablespoon of olive oil. When hot add 2-3 tablespoons of flour. Mix and let it get golden. It should make small dough like peaks. Add to that 1/4 or so cup of milk. Mix or whisk together. Add your eggplants to that mixture. Add salt.(two three small pinches) A little bit of cracked pepper. Take handheld processor (if you do not have that pouring the mixture when not too hot to an actual food processor and pouring it back will help) Into it also add 1/4 cup of grated kashkaval or mozarella cheese. Process + Mix until it takes the consistency of mashed potatoes. Taste to make sure it is creamy and tasty.
Top it with a steak, lamb or vegetable.
For desert---- if you are lazy like me
RASBERRIES WITH CHOCOLATE
Shopping List: A box or two of rasberries, a bar of chocolate
Buy a nice bar of chocolate
Buy a box or two of rasberries.
Seperate the bar into pieces. Put that next to the rasberries.
Offer tea if you want to be remembered as a nice host. My favorite is the Harney and Sons -- Hot Cinamon Sunset tea.
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Teatime Delights
Comments (0) | Friday, June 29, 2012
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| This is my lazy pogaca when I mix the filling in the dough. I make them thinner like little crisps but they are traditionally more round like little bread rolls. |
Why do we need to eat at teatime?
There is
something special about teatime. It is a completely unnecessary mid-day meal.
The foods associated with it takes eating just over the top. That is not what you
are supposed to eat at that point in the day. Yet the combination of offerings
different depending on the location, the female and the gossip heavy
environment make this unnecessary hour a must. I used to enjoy these mid-day
engagements. The way in which I got to enjoy these in earlier age was when I
accepted the invitations of family members. Consisting of female family members
who did not work, my mother huffed and puffed at the prospect of her only day
that she did not work doing something with her distant family. She also did not find
the conversation topics to be all that interesting. It was different for me as
I both enjoyed the offerings different in every house hold coupled with the
latest news from the family; who was cheating on who, whose kid was a bit too
old to get married, who joined a cult and what did the cult required them to do
(all real life conversation topics from family gatherings by the way) Some
members of the family were cake makers. The cake makers know how to make their
cake rise. My favorite cakes are the ones who are fluffy yet moist. Some make
boreks and lentil meatballs. I never liked the ones who tried to be inventive.
This is an hour whose food shall not be changed.
Due to
changing conditions of health and the need to work, this is a meal I can no
longer indulge in - unless on special occasions. Still someone who keeps me on the loop is
Sedef Iybar, an amazing cook whose cakes are to die for. Unlike many bakers,
she does not keep measurements but can bake from whatever is around the house.
Her cakes are always delicious. One inventive cake I remember is the one we made
at Lake Placid with mastic and lime. If you speak Turkish click here for her
recipes. I am sure she will have an English site up soon as well. She enjoys this hour and is a great
friend to gossip with whilst the cake bite gets moister with the sip from our
teas.
Below are
four recipes that I associate with tea-hour. All four can easily be
re-purposed as Sunday breakfast dishes. Each has a story as well. (so will all
the recipes here)
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| This is what the pogaca looks like when properly filled! |
Pogaca
Making pogaca is a sign of home-sickness. When in Turkey you can buy amazing pogaca from a store. When away it is not as easily available. There is a distinct taste to the home-made version. When done properly it brings the place missed when consuming this delightful pastry.
Ingredients
3.5 cups flour
1 cup
full-fat yoghurt
1 cup
vegetable oil
2-3
teaspoons baking powder
2
eggs + 1 egg yoke
1
teaspoon salt
If you
have it a bit of black or regular sesame to sprinkle on top
Filling
A combo
of crumbled feta + chopped parsley + dill
If you
want to be inventive red pepper flakes and scallions can also be added
Mix the
above ingredient for the dough. If you have a KitchenAid just add all and let
it mix w the dough hook. Otherwise do it with your hand leaving the flour to
the last. Once you have a slightly stick dough- first set your oven to 350-375
F (180 C) - preheat- take a baking pan and brush it with oil. Now you have a
choice- if you are lazy you can throw in the filling materials and mix the
dough. If you do so make small egg shapes and slightly press and place them in
your pan. If you are not you take slightly larger than wallnut pieces into your
palm-- move the dough around and extend it to one side put your filling and
close the other half on top. Put these individual pieces onto the pan. After
you are done with all (about 20-25 pogaca with these ingredients) brush them
with the egg yolk. Sprinkle the top with black sesame and sesame.
Bake for
25-30 minutes. Watch your own. Little soft on the center- golden on top you are
ready to go.
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| Yoghurt cake is very pretty when served with berries and creme |
French Yoghurt Cake
In the
lookout for the easiest cake ever and the healthiest cake ever? It is not the
healthiest cake really but you can claim that it is as it takes no butter
(instead yoghurt + olive oil) Great to serve with fresh berries. I saw this on
a website and made it a bunch of times. The best thing about this cake is you mix
all ingredients in one bowl. Whisk or mix well if you want your cake to rise.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups full fat yoghurt
2/3 cup
olive oil
1 1/4 cup
sugar
3 eggs
1
teaspoon vanilla
1
teaspoon (optional) orange or almond extract
2 1/2
cups all purpose flour
3/4
teaspoon baking soda
1/2
teaspoon salt
PInch of
freshly ground nutmeg
Preheat
oven 350 (170C). Grease your pan. First whisk yoghurt, olive oil, sugar, eggs,
vanilla. Then add flour, baking soda, salt. Whisk well until no lumps. Pour it
into a round cake pan. Bake for 50-0 minutes. The last 10 minutes cover the top
with foil so that the top does not turn brown.
I also
make a lime cream that you can serve this cake with and that is simply
1 cup
heavy cream
2
tablespoon conf. sugar
2 lime's
zest
mix until
the cream is before stiff. Goes great also with berries.
Lentil Meatballs
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| I have lentil meatballs in my fridge often. Good for any occasion. Vegan/vegetarian. These are some I made recently. |
Ingredients
1 cup lentil or 2 cups lentil (ratio is 1 cup lentil to 1/2 cup bulgur but you can up it)
1/2 cup bulgur or 1 cup bulgur
1/2 cup olive oil.
1 mid size white onion chipped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp pepper paste (Turkish style) -- if you do not have this nevermind!
2-3 stems of scallions
Chopped Fresh parsley + Dill
Red pepper flakes
Sumac
Lemon Juice
Salt + Pepper
Add to 1 cup lentil 2 cup water. Let it cook until lentils absorb water and get mushy (15-20 minutes). When it is slightly still liquidy but cooked to point of mush add on to bulgur and immediately cover it with airtight cover. Let it rest for 15-20. Better to work with it when cold. In a pan sautee the onions w oliveoil + tomato paste and pepper paste. Sautee until the onions are soft. When the bulgur +lentil mix is cool- add on to the mixture olive oil, the cooked onions, lemon juice, spices, thinly sliced scallions, chopped fresh parsley + dill. If lazy you can eat it as if its rice. Amazing when it is cold. If not make slightly chubby finger shapes from it. Serve it with lettuce leace and or lemon. Juice a lemon on top before you put it into your mouth.
Last teatime recipe is...
Stomach
Medicine --- Wet Chocolate Cake
During a
sleepover visit to my aunt's I woke up in the middle of the night with
something which I later on described as a stomach ache- I think really just a
desire to have another slice of the delicious cake that I had before I went to
bed. When caught I claimed that the consumption of the cake was due to a sudden
stomach ache. I had to have the cake. So from then on, the cake was
immortalized as my stomach medicine.
Ingredients
Stage 1
250 gr melted butter
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon brandy or liquor of your choosing
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons cacao
1 glass of milk
Stage 2
2.5 cups of flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs
Mix the ingredients in stage 1. Separate a glassful from the mixture put it aside. Add to stage 1 mixture- 4 eggs - mix- one egg at time- Last but not least add flour and baking powder. Pre-heat your own around 375F (180C). Bake for 30-40 minutes or as my mother does it until a tooth pick you stick to your cake comes out clean. Once it comes out of the oven, when it is hot, pour the glass of liquid you retained from stage 1. Let it cool and absorb the liquid.
Ingredients
Stage 1
250 gr melted butter
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon brandy or liquor of your choosing
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons cacao
1 glass of milk
Stage 2
2.5 cups of flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs
Mix the ingredients in stage 1. Separate a glassful from the mixture put it aside. Add to stage 1 mixture- 4 eggs - mix- one egg at time- Last but not least add flour and baking powder. Pre-heat your own around 375F (180C). Bake for 30-40 minutes or as my mother does it until a tooth pick you stick to your cake comes out clean. Once it comes out of the oven, when it is hot, pour the glass of liquid you retained from stage 1. Let it cool and absorb the liquid.
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Ustipak Recipe
Comments (0) | Thursday, June 14, 2012
Ustipak (Kiziltan Style)
(fried Bosnian dough)
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| Not my own photo but I found it online. Imagine a bunch of these but you can use this as a guide of what your final product will look like! |
1 egg
Half a glass of yoghurt
2 teaspoons baking soda
Half a glass water
Salt
As much as flour as it takes
By that I think my grandmother means add flour until it reaches the right consistency. It should not be a thick though nor should it be too liquid. Enough that you can pour the dough with a spoon on to the hot frying oil. Pour a spoonful to hot frying oil (filled enough in a pan so that the dough can float) and cook until it forms dough balls crisp on the outside. Serve with cheese jam or garlic yoghurt! So can be an afternoon snack and/or a part of a meal. Popular in Bosnia and at our home in Turkey!
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