I know it’s taken a while, but here is my first in a series of posts about my food exploration in Turkey. I thought the best place to start would be the best meal of the trip.
Continue reading Cappadocian Cave Lunch : Turkish Food Log Pt. 1
Category: About Food
Macarons
A while ago I mentioned how macarons are starting to eclipse the popularity of cupcakes. I still don’t think they have the mass appeal of cupcakes, but they are pretty special. Do a Google image search, and you’ll see why — while they all have a similar shape, they can come in bright jewel colours and complex flavours.
I first saw Lemon Tree macarons while in the throes of my cupcake obsession. Of course, every time I passed the little table at St. Lawrence Market, I was on my way to buy cupcake supplies for that weekend. Must buy macarons next time.
These macarons don’t really mess with the gimmicky stuff. They are all inspired by classic flavours, like mint, nut, caramel, mocha and chocolate.
Delicious salted caramel – can you blame me for being greedy?
It took a couple of months, but I finally caved and bought a few. J and I shared them bite by bite, and found a delicious surprise in each.
Probably my favourite one, the only one I kept all to myself, was the salted caramel. You can’t tell from the outside, but inside there is a well of delicious flowing salted caramel. Sooooo good!
If you want these babies, you either have to make a custom order or buy a few from the select stock at their small table downstairs at the St. Lawrence Market (just next to Rube’s rice and bean island). You won’t regret it!!
Greeky Eggs
I’m not a breakfast-making chick. When I wake up, I usually grab one of two things: a breakfast pita topped with almond or peanut butter; or a bowl of yogurt and granola. J does a little better on weekends, often making us some delicious waffles.
I wanted to make something special for once, so I pulled out an old copy of LCBO Food & Drink magazine, and made Baked Eggs with Feta and Dill.
This was a simple – but fun – dish to make. I got to use my cute little white ramekins, which rarely see the light of day. It looks and tastes more sophisticated than it actually was to make.
While this would be great at any time of year, I think this is one of those dishes that are best appreciated in the Spring and Summer. The light and fresh vegetable flavours are a perfect way to start the day. This would also be great as a part of a larger brunch spread, with some chilled white wine or mimosas (Darn! I knew I forgot something!).
The recipe can be found on the LCBO website: Baked Eggs with Feta and Dill. I always look forward to the seasonal Food & Drink magazines, both for the recipes and the fantastic photos. It’s like a food blog in paper form… what will they think of next!? (hahaha)
Twice as Nice! BBQ Corn to Summer Corn & Rice Salad
When the summer hits, you really want to cook as infrequently as possible. On a hot week like this, I’m grateful for leftovers that I can use in another dish. This post revolves around sweet and juicy grilled corn on the cob, and how to transform the leftover kernels into a fantastic summer salad!
Last night’s dinner was pretty simple and yummy – some corn on the cob and mahi mahi (marinated in piri piri sauce) done up on our wee BBQ. Soo tasty and filling!
After dinner, we had two ears of corn left so I carefully cut the kernels off of the cob and cooked up the rice for my salad. This salad is a mix of sweet, fresh, salty and savoury. You can substitute any of your favourite fresh or grilled veggies, as well as any dressing you like. Keep in mind that the rice will absorb most of the dressing.
Try not to overcompensate by drowning the salad in dressing – that will leave your rice gummy and possibly with too strong a taste. The dressing I used is a mild blend of orange juice, very green tasting hemp oil, a wee bit of apple cider vinegar and fresh herbs. It gives a light coating and flavour without covering the smokiness of the grilled corn, the light anise flavour of the fennel, and the freshness of crisp vegetables.
BBQ Corn & Rice Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 cup mixed rice, cooked (I use a fun blend of brown, red and wild rices)
- 1-2 cups grilled corn kernels
- 2-3 tbsp fresh green onion (green part sliced, white part finely minced)
- 1-2 tbsp fresh basil, chiffonade
- 1 tsp fresh mint, roughly chopped
- 1/2 – 1 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
- 1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cucumber, chopped
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1-2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp hemp oil
- 2 Tbsp Piri Piri sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt & pepper, to taste
Preparation:
- Combine the rice with the corn, onion, basil, mint and fennel. Toss with olive oil.
- Mix together the ingredients for the dressing. Be sure to mix well enough that the garlic powder dissolves completely.
- Toss the salad mix with the dressing. This can sit overnight if required.
- Slice and mix in the rest of the veggies just before eating.
Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse!
Betelgeuse may be a star, or a movie dead guy, but now it’s also a great new beer from Mill St!
Mill St. Brewery is a craft brewery that has been around for over 100 years, giving Toronto a great assortment of fun beers. This summer, they’ve released three special brews:
- Lemon Tea – a refreshing beer with a mix of lemon, Earl Grey and Orange Pekoe flavours.
- Schleimhammer Roggenbier – not sure how to describe this one… heh… a little sweet, but not super thick… red?
- Betelgeuse – a Belgian style Trippel, strong and sweet
A still from the movie Beetlejuice.
My favourite of the three has to be the Betelgeuse. I’ll start by saying that I’m no beer expert – I’m slowly going through different kinds of beer to see what I like and what I don’t like. So far, my favourite styles seem to be German & Belgian Wheat Beers (Wits, Heffeweizens, etc.) and Belgian Trappist beers.
The Mill St. Betelgeuse was a great addition to their roster, even if it is but a limited release. It’s a little sweeter than most people like in a beer, but it has such a nice round flavour that makes it a great beer to sip after dinner. This kind of beer is especially great on a cool evening… not exactly refreshing for summer.
If you’re looking for something more refreshing, you might want to try the Lemon Tea beer. If you like wheat beers, this one will fit alongside many of them. It offers a nice combination of citrusy flavours, along with a subtle tea aftertaste.
All three of the Mill St. seasonal brews can be found at various LCBO locations in Toronto. I’m not sure if they’re available outside of Toronto – let me know if you find it!!
What do I do with this? Garlic Scapes
This is a new monthly challenge that I’m imposing on myself, where I find an ingredient that I have never used before (or even better – have never even HEARD of before) and make something with it.
My first entry is the Garlic Scape. I first heard of this earlier in the year, but had never seen any in the market before. I actually tried to grow my own, but failed miserably.
I finally found some at the market this month.
Garlic scapes, or green garlic, are the stalks of the garlic plant, growing above ground. They’re sort of like scallions, but garlicky tasting and much more dense. To me, they seem like a cross between a garlic and a green bean. Raw, they are pungent and crunchy. When cooked, they are soft and mild.
My first big dish using garlic scapes was a simple pasta tossed with sauteed vegetables, garlic scapes, garlic scape infused yogurt and Parmesan cheese.
There are many recipes for garlic scape pesto, which I plan to try making soon. Sounds right up my alley!
Now that I’ve tried them, I’m a little embarrassed that I hadn’t heard of them before. Anyone that knows me should be ashamed of me!! This was a great find, and a really fun thing to put in summer dishes. I know they won’t be in season for much longer, so I’ll be buying them every chance I get.
Next year, I plan to try growing garlic again. I’m not too sure what went wrong this time around, but I think it’s because bulbs don’t overwinter very well here when in pots. I might try planting them early March with my daffodils.
🙂
Grilled Vegetable Orzo Salad with Shrimp
Today was a very summery day, so I decided to make a summer meal.
We pulled the wee BBQ out from hibernation, cleaned it off, and sparked it up. I didn’t realize how much I missed grilled vegetables until we started eating… somehow everything tastes better grilled.
Today’s meal was not unusual for us – I think I went a little overboard making orzo salads in the last couple of summers. I thought J might never want to see an orzo again, but luckily the winter was enough of a break for him.
Yummy spiced grilled shrimp.
This orzo salad starred some simple grilled vegetables, some nicely spiced grilled shrimps, and an assortment of fresh herbs from my garden. This dish doesn’t have to be complicated. For once, I didn’t mix a handful of spices together or carefully follow a recipe step-by-step to make sure I didn’t mess it up.
This is less like science, and more like art. You take what you like, and toss it!
Over the course of the summer, I will be featuring a number of different orzo salads. I already know what my next one will be… Hopefully I’ll also find some other fun grain or legume salads. That’s something I’m missing from my database o’ fun.
My new thing is to mix chopped tomatoes and avocadoes and put it on top of a dish. It adds colour and freshness that I really like. I also finished the dish with a salt lightly smoked in wood from Chardonnay barrels. I forget what it’s called, but it is subtle and sooo good.
… and now we spot the elusive wild Orzo, in its natural habitat
Grilled Vegetable Orzo Salad with Shrimp
Ingredients
- 250g Orzo pasta, cooked and well drained
- 1lb med-large shrimp, peeled
- 1 medium red pepper, quartered
- 1 medium orange pepper, quartered
- 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
- 1/2 medium red onion, halved
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
- 1/2 c chopped herbs (I used basil, parsley, tarragon, mint)
- 6 tbsp olive oil, divided (1 for the veggies, 1 for the shrimp, 4 for the dressing)
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 small avocado, peeled and chopped
- 8-10 grape tomatoes, halved
- 1-2 tbsp chopped green onion (green part only)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Toss the vegetables in a bit of oil. (I use an oil sprayer to lightly coat them).
- Grill until the vegetables are cooked through, and have nice grill marks. Take off the grill, allow to cool, and chop coarsely.
- Toss the shrimp in a bit of oil (again, I use the sprayer for this), and the paprika and cayenne.
- Put the shrimp on the grill, and grill until cooked through and have nice grill marks (only a couple minutes on each side).
- In a large bowl, toss the chopped grilled veggies, shrimp, chopped garlic and chopped herbs with the cooked orzo.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together 4Tbsp of the olive oil with the apple cider vinegar. Add to the salad and toss.
- Season with salt & pepper, plate the salad and top with the chopped tomatoes and avocado.
Blog Love Pt. 2 – 101 Cookbooks
This is the second in a series of posts that give props to blogs that inspire me.
Right now, I’m in Turkey on vacation, so instead of scheduling posts of my own cooking that I can’t respond to, I thought I’d show some of the blogs that keep me interested every week. The things I really like in a food blog include great recipe ideas, stylish photos, a sense of the personality of a blogger (I don’t want it to read like an instruction manual!) and a focus on fresh ingredients.
I watch a few blogs regularly, but there are a few that stand out as being at the top of the heap.
Today, I’d like to highlight a blog called 101 Cookbooks.
When I first started reading this blog, I found myself making recipes from it very regularly. I’ve even posted the results of some of my attempts. Heidi, who writes for 101 Cookbooks, focuses on natural, whole foods and the recipes definitely reflect that goal. The photos are lovely, with almost a cottage kitchen quality to them.
This recipe made me believe that, after a bunch of failed attempts, I could actually cook Indian food. Obviously, I had been using the wrong recipes before.
This recipe was easy to follow, and resulted in an incredible dish that inspired me to look for more good Indian recipes.
I think this was the first recipe I made from 101 Cookbooks. It definitely was not the last.
This is one of MANY quinoa recipes! Yaaaay! I love quinoa, and I was looking for a fun new recipe, and found lots of options. This dish makes a pesto out of broccoli, almonds and parmesan cheese – and lots of garlic.
This dish is super healthy and super tasty. As you can see from the pic, it’s a very fresh and green dish.
This is a perfect summer dish, full of yummy crunchy broccoli!
Blog Love Pt. 1 – The Naked Beet
This is the first in a series of posts that give props to blogs that inspire me.
Right now, I’m in Turkey on vacation, so instead of scheduling posts of my own cooking that I can’t respond to, I thought I’d show some of the blogs that keep me interested every week. The things I really like in a food blog include great recipe ideas, stylish photos, a sense of the personality of a blogger (I don’t want it to read like an instruction manual!) and a focus on fresh ingredients.
I watch a few blogs regularly, but there are a few that stand out as being at the top of the heap.
The first I’d like to highlight is called The Naked Beet.
This blog meets all of my criteria, and I’m always excited to see the latest posts. The photography is beautiful and enticing, the writing warm and friendly and the recipes are interesting and sophisticated, yet don’t seem to be aimed at seasoned chefs. Here are some recent examples of posts that piqued my interest.
Enjoy The Naked Beet! I’ll highlight another great blog next week!
The spice must flow (…or why Za’atar will be in your local market soon)
This entry was posted a couple of weeks ago now, but I still haven’t cleared it from my Google Reader. I look at it almost every day.
Insanity? Probably. But just LOOK at it! … and then read it.
If you are a fan of herbs and spices, as I am, this post will definitely incite some deliciousness.
This post talks about Za’atar, a blend of herbs and spices used primarily in the Middle East, but making it’s way into foodies’ cupboards everywhere.
There’s some socio-political intrigue involved as well, which makes you think about how important food is to history and culture.
Also, do you see the freaking pyramid of spices? Seriously!
Spicy Shrimp in Thai Fusion Broth
This post has also been in my saved list for a while… I keep trying to find the right time to make this recipe!
This dish is a mix of Mexican flavours (Ancho and Chipotle chiles) and Thai flavours (lemon grass, coconut milk). I knew this would be right up J’s alley, so it’s on my “do it up” list. Soon. I promise.
Until then, I’ll just look at the pretty picture and drool.
Monthly Mélange: May 2010
What, No Challenge?
May has been a pretty slow month for cooking. I was going to set a challenge for the month, but then I didn’t have time to cook much in the first week, and figured I’d wait until June or July to set another monthly challenge. There’s no point in having a month-long challenge when I’m not home to cook…
I did set a couple of short-term challenges for myself, though. As usual, I did the Daring Cooks challenge.
I participated in an ‘Adaptation’ challenge, where you pay homage to a recipe on another blog by adapting it and making it your own (and, of course, giving due credit to the original post). This was almost a cop-out for me, because I do this kind of thing quite a lot. That said, I like to give props to the blogs I enjoy, which you’ll see more in the coming weeks.
I decided to find and make a Turkish (or Turkish influenced) dish before my trip to Turkey at the end of the month. This ties into my spice of the month, so I won’t bla-bla about it here. Let’s get into the rundown!
Just say ‘No’ to Food Waste!
Always in the back of my mind, I am continuing with a less formal food waste challenge. I continue to “freeze my bits”, and try not to buy more fresh food than I can use. Sadly, a couple of husks that were once heads of garlic had to be sacrificed to the bog of eternal stench. Scratch that — it makes it sound like I compost, which I sadly cannot (yet). Indeed, when I do find a condo-appropriate composting option, I will have to name it “The Bog of Eternal Stench“, after the movie Labyrinth. My garbage will now be known as the “Almighty Trash Heap“, after a character in Fraggle Rock.
Margery, The Almighty Trash Heap (photo from muppet.wikia.com)
Monthly Spice
Sumac. A few weeks ago, I bought Sumac for no real reason. I just remember that I saw it used on something and that at the time I had thought I should get some. So I did. I later realized that I saw it on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, in an episode where they went to Istanbul. Ta-da!! Sumac is used all over the Middle East, but isn’t mentioned much here in North America. It has a bizarrely tangy and smokey flavour that you really can’t compare to other spices. Since buying it, I’ve seen a number of really great things I’d like to try with it (like Za’atar). This month, I used it in my mini-challenge to make “something Turkish”.
Party in My Mouth
I’ve actually been staying away from the sweet stuff, after last month, so there isn’t much to report here. Instead, I’ve been really excited about the new herbs growing in my container garden. Fresh is best, and I love running out to the balcony to snip a few stems for a meal. They add a freshness and intrigue to everything – dinners, drinks and even desserts.
I Made This!
J was pretty impressed with the Turkish inspired Encrusted Fish & Tomato Pilaf. This was the first time I’d tried breading fish, and it went really well! It was also pretty yummy reheated — not as crispy, but it kept the fish from drying out. Pretty fun. I think I have to vote for the Daring Cooks challenge again this month. The Crab Enchiladas were really impressive, and I liked roasting the peppers and tomatillos, making the sauces and playing with spices. Yum!
Mystery Ingredient
Fresh green onion. This is the first year I’ve tried growing onions, and I’m really enjoying having fresh green onions to top every dish. It adds a mild punchy onion flavour, freshness and a nice pop of green. OK, this sounds like my writeup about the herbs in my garden. It’s true, though! Right now, I’m trying to resist the temptation to pull the green onions right up. The longer I leave them, the more likely I’ll end up with actual onions at the end. Not sure I have enough space for it, but it will be interesting to see how things turn out.
Shameful Secrets
I gave away the rest of my Jelly Bellies. They were actually hurting me, and I had to let go (at least for a while). I’m sorry I didn’t give them all to you, but you weren’t there at the time. Mea culpa.
The next few weeks will be full of adventure, and no doubt I’ll have lots to post about when it’s done. So excited!! In the meantime, I have some fun posts planned.
S