Photo by Adli Wahid on Unsplash
Saturday August 29, 2020
Chez Julie and Paul
Julie & Paul Y, Christine (aka Kristafine), Paul C & Dorcas, Kevin & Irene, Christopher (aka Kristafa), Andrew, Sam & Di
A splendid Turkish menu to bring back memories of travel during COVID19
Starters
- Balik Ekmek – Turkish fish sandwiches (Paul C)
- Felafel with Tahini Sauce (Paul C)
- Hummus and baba ganoush with seasame lavosh crackers (Andrew)
Mains
- Slow cooked lamb leg (Di)
- Barbecued lamb chops with chilli and ginger (Paul Y)
- Eggplant with pumpkin, feta and walnuts (Julie)
- Turkish vegetables (Di)
- Shish kebab (Kristafa)
- Turkish salads (Kevin & Irene)
Desserts
- Sweet Labneh with Pomegranate and Orange Syrup (Paul C)
- Byzantine something (Kristafine)
- Chocolate Anzac Loaf (John)
- Turkish Delight
- Turkish Coffee
Photo by Benjamin Sow on Unsplash
Selected recipes
Sesame and Oregano Lavosh Crackers
Recipe by Eloise Emmett – eloiseemmett.com
These tasty little bickies are great to serve with your favourite cheeses and dips and are very easy.
- 2/3 cup wholemeal flour
- 2/3 cup plain flour
- 4 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ cup warm water
- Topping for baking: Olive oil and sea salt
- Turn oven on to 170 C.
- Mix all ingredients in the blender or mixer until it is a smooth dough.
- Rest for 10 minutes and roll out to 3-4 ml cut into shapes, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt
- Bake until golden brown and cooked through – approx 25-30 mins.
Hummus
Recipe by Alton Brown – Good Eats
Ingredients
- 500 grams Slow Cooker Chickpeas
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup tahini, stirred well
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
- Powdered sumac, optional
Method
- Place the chickpeas, garlic, and kosher salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process for 15 to 20 seconds. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and process for another 15 to 20 seconds.
- Add the lemon juice and water. Process for 20 seconds.
- Add the tahini. Process for 20 seconds, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add salt
- With the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil.
- To serve, transfer the hummus to a bowl and drizzle with additional olive oil and sprinkle with sumac, to taste, if desired.
Slow Cooker Chickpeas
• 7 cups water
• 500 grams dry chickpeas, sorted and rinsed
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarb soda
- Place the water, chickpeas, and baking soda in a 2 1/2-quart slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high heat for 4 hours, or on low heat for 8 to 9 hours, or until tender.
- Drain and serve immediately, or use in desired dish.
Baba Ghanoush
from Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
This rich cream is a combination of two strong flavours: the smoky one of aubergines prepared as below, and the strong taste of tahina sharpened by lemon and garlic. It is exciting and vulgarly seductive. The ingredients are added almost entirely to taste, the harmony of flavours depending largely on the size and flavour of the aubergines used. The quantities below give a fairly large amount, enough to be served as a dip at a party.
Ingredients
- 3 large aubergines
- 2 cloves garlic, or to taste
- salt
- ¼ pot tahina paste or less
- 3 lemons, or more to taste
- ½ tsp ground cumin (optional)
- 2 tbs finely chopped parsley, a few black olives or a tomato, thinly sliced, to garnish
Method
- Cook the aubergines over charcoal or under a gas flame or electric grill until the skin blackens and blisters.
- Peel and wash the aubergines, and squeeze out as much of the bitter juice as possible.
- Crush the garlic cloves with salt. Mash the aubergines with a potato masher or a fork, then add the crushed garlic and little more salt, and pound to a smooth, creamy purée.
- Add the tahina paste and lemon juice alternately, beating well or blending for a few seconds between each addition. Taste and add more salt, lemon juice, garlic or tahina if you think it is necessary and, if you like, a little cumin.
- Pour the cream into a bowl or a few smaller serving dishes. Garnish with finely chopped parsley and black olives, or with Arab or other bread (pitta), as a salad or as a party dip.
Lamb chops with chilli and ginger
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves , crushed
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 8 lamb chops
Method
- Put the garlic in a bowl with the ginger, lemon juice, oil, spices and seasoning. Blitz with a hand blender until smooth, then use to coat the lamb chops on both sides. Leave to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.
- Heat a barbecue until hot. Barbecue the chops over the coals for 3 mins on each side until cooked but still pink and juicy in the centre.
Eggplant (aka aubergine) with pumpkin, feta and walnut
Ingredients
- 2 large aubergines
- 200g/7oz pumpkin or squash (try kabocha or butternut squash)
- 100g red onion , thinly sliced
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (or use slightly less ground cumin)
- 2 garlic cloves , thinly sliced
- 4 tbsp virgin rapeseed or olive oil
- 2 tsp fresh herb (thyme, oregano, sage or rosemary work well)
- 100g feta cheese , diced
- large handful walnuts , lightly toasted and halved
For the courgette salad
- 4 courgettes
- 1 lemon
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- small handful mint leaves, chopped
- small handful flat-leaf parsley , chopped
Method
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut the aubergines in half lengthways, leaving the stem in place (this can be removed when eating). Using a small sharp knife, scoop out the inner flesh leaving a shell about 1cm thick. Chop the flesh and put into a bowl.
- Peel the pumpkin or squash, remove the seeds, then cut into 1-2cm dice and mix with the chopped aubergine and red onion. Mix in the cumin, garlic and 2 tbsp oil and toss together with some salt and black pepper. Lay on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Rub 1 tbsp oil over the aubergine halves and season. Place, cut-side down, on another tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 mins, until the pumpkin and aubergine shells are almost cooked through.
- Tip the pumpkin mixture back into the bowl and stir through the mixed herbs, feta and walnuts. Turn over the aubergine halves, then pile up the mixture inside. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tbsp oil and bake for 20 mins, at which point the pumpkin will be fully cooked. If it starts to colour too much, cover loosely with foil.
- Meanwhile, make the courgette salad. Top and tail the courgettes, then slice very thinly into wide ribbons. Toss with the zest, juice of half the lemon and the oil. Leave for 10 mins to let the courgettes soften a little.
- To serve, toss the herbs through the courgettes and cut the remaining lemon half into wedges. Place an aubergine half on each plate, pile up the salad beside it and serve with a lemon wedge.
Sweet Labneh with Orange and Pomegranate
Ingredients
- Greek style yogurt – 1 kg
- Navel oranges – 2
- Orange juice = 1/2 litre
- Sugar – to taste
- Fresh pomegranate – 1
- Pomegranate molasses – 100 ml or so
- Pistachio nuts, chopped – 3 tablespoons
Method
- Take a large bowl, inset a round sieve that will comfortably hold 1 kilo of yogurt. Line the sieve with cheesecloth or muslin, allowing at least 20 cm overhang on all sides.
- Scoop the yogurt into the cloth, draw the sides together to make a pouch and tie closed with kitchen twine. Hang the cloth over the sieve and bowl (I tie the loose end to a kitchen cabinet handle, but anything will do). Allow the yogurt to drain overnight. Discard the whey.
- Now you have labneh, or yogurt cheese. This can be served as a savoury, mixed with chopped salted cucumber and garlic to make tzatziki. For sweet labneh, just fold in 2-3 tablespoons of caster sugar and mix well. Shape little footballs (quenelles) with two dessert spoons and set aside to chill in the fridge.
-
Peel the oranges and cut out skinless segments with a sharp knife. Set aside. Squeeze the oranges to get the remaining juice. Add that to your 1/2 litre of orange juice in a small saucepan.
- Boil down the orange juice with a spoon or two of sugar and a good tablespoon of marmalade, until you have a light syrup. Pour through a tea strainer and reserve.
- Open the pomegranate and pop out the seeds, then pick over to remove all traces of pith.
- Put the pomegranate molasses into a squeeze bottle.
To assemble:
- Pour enough orange syrup onto a dessert plate to make a generous pool.
- Slide one portion of the labneh onto the plate.
- Arrange 3-4 orange segments around the labneh.
- Sprinkle one tablespoon of pomegranate seeds around the plate.
- Decorate the labneh with a squeeze of the pomegranate molasses.
- Sprinkle chopped pistachios over the top to finish.
Serves 10-12 people.
