Around the World Series: Turkey

A little while ago, I bought some fresh figs. I realized they’re not my favorite to eat plain, but I made a really good dessert with them- Turkish Fig Cake! This dessert was accompanied by Gozleme and Turkish Cacik (cucumber yogurt kind of dish). This was a fun meal! After dinner we dreamed of our future house and ended up deciding on how we would like our driveway. After that we packed up for an early rise and leaving for Virginia the next day. And for the record, when trying to get egg whites stiff without beaters, it can be a challenge, haha!

Gozleme is a turkish hand rolled pastry. One common version is spinach and feta, I made that with a little more elaboration. I found this random recipe with a dough that I wasn’t too sure of. I had never made a dough out of only flour, water, and salt before- I’ve always added oil or butter or eggs or something else. It worked out in the end, but would have been better if I had a rolling pin. I also cheated-we bought  a lamb meal at the greek festival. I shredded it and used that precooked meat.

Turkish Gozleme

Dough: 1 ½ c flour, 3/4c water, dash salt

Filling: spinach, onion, olive oil, lamb or beef, chili powder, garlic, pepper, red pepper, feta

Directions:

1. Clean spinach, then cook in a little water until wilted.  Then dry on paper towels. Chop onion and red pepper.
2. Cook onions. Add spices and meat until browned.
3. Make the dough by adding the flour, half the water, and salt. Slowly add more water until a ball forms, then knead the dough on a lightly floured surface. Let rest for a few minutes then divide into three balls.
4. Roll out the dough into a thin rectangle. Add spinach, meat mixture, red peppers, and feta to one side and fold over. Cook in olive oil for about five minutes, flipping every minute.

For the cacik:

Mix a cup of yogurt with 2 cucumber (seeded, peeled, and diced), 3 tbsp chopped walnuts, 2 tbsp dill, 1 tsp lemon juice, and a garlic clove. Drizzle 1 tbsp oil on top.

Turkish Fig cake. Have you ever tried to whip egg whites into stiff peaks with a whisk? Have you ever tried it with a fork? We have. The recipe called for stiff peaks, and without having a blender or a whisk, it can be difficult. We whipped the whites for no joke, a half an hour… and ended up with soft peaks. The trick is using a whip motion that pulls air into it. This was a really good recipe and could use any fruit on it. Next time, I want to try it with beaters and a springform pan so it can be about quadruple the thickness. Mmm.

Turkish Yogurt Fig Cake

Ingredients

4 eggs, separated

½ c sugar

3 TBSP sifted flour

1 ½ c Greek yogurt

1 lemon, grated and juiced

Orange zest

½ tsp vanilla extract

3 fresh figs, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour and mix until combined.
3. Add yogurt, orange and lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
4. Whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into yogurt mixture (Do not overmix.)
5. Grease springform pan. Pour into pan and arrange fig slices on top. Bake 45-60 minutes until browned.

Egg-less Vegetable Quiche

Another favorite, and a different way to make a quiche.

Egg-less Vegetable Quiche

Crust:

• 1 c. Whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c.  Oats
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
• 1/3 c.  Olive oil/melted butter
• 1/2 cup water/milk

For the Crust:

1. Dry roast oats (not necessary though) for a few minutes. Grind oats with flour, salt, baking powder. (Oops, I didn’t’ have a blender so I just mixed them and the oats were larger in the crust. I had to add more flour to make the crust a better consistency.)
2.  Add oil/butter and toss until resembles breadcrumbs.  Add water or milk. Make a hard dough; increase the quantity of liquid if needed for a firm dough.
3.  Roll out dough and place in a pie pan. Put small holes in the bottom with a fork.
4. Bake the pastry shell for about 10-15 minutes at 400°F till crust is golden brown.

Filling:

• 1 c. Spinach, washed and shredded
• 1/2 c.  bell pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. red chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp. dry herbs: thyme, basil, etc.
• 1/2 c. Tofu
• 2 TBSP Olive oil
• Salt as desired
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 c.  Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 TBSP Milk

Could also add mushrooms or other vegetables to quiche. Cottage cheese could be a replacement for cheddar cheese, just mix it in with the filling.

For the Filling:

1.  Heat oil and sauté onion and garlic. Add the pepper and cook for one minute. Add spinach & salt and cook for another minute. Take the filling out from the stove and cool it a little. A little extra water from the cooked spinach is ok and should be taken care of by baking the quiche.
2. Crumble the tofu, mix it with milk, and add it to the cooked spinach mix.
3. Pour the cooked spinach mix over the pre baked tart shell. Sprinkle crushed pepper and herbs over the spread and add the grated cheese on top of the assembled quiche.
4. Bake the quiche for 40-50 minutes at 375°F or till done. Cool it for 10 -15 minutes before slicing the quiche.

Spanish Spinach, Almond, and Egg Empanaditas

This is now one of my NEW FAVORITE recipes! The wonderfully flaky crust and the flavor explosion combined to make a great dish! I found this in a book called New Vegetarian, however, since it was copyrighted in 2009, its not really new anymore. Oh, and one of my favorite parts was made possible because of my substitution. Instead of corn flour in the crust, I crushed up some pretzels, giving it a wonderfully salty texture. Anyways, here’s the recipe:

Spanish Spinach, Almond, and Egg Empanaditas

Ingredients:

2 ½ c. four
½ c. corn flour (or ½ c. crushed pretzels)
½ tsp. salt, less if using pretzels
1 tsp. baking powder
4 TBSP unsalted butter, chilled
¼ c. EVOO (olive oil)
1 egg
½ c. milk
Filling:
1 ½ lbs spinach, washed and stemmed
2 TBSP EVOO
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large tomato, chopped and drained
4 eggs, boiled, peeled, & chopped
½ c. slivered almonds, toasted (or chunk whole almonds)
½ tsp. salt

1 egg yolk
1 TBSP milk

1. In a large bowl, mix flours, salt, and baking pwd. Grate in butter. Sprinkle in oil and stir lightly to swirl it. Combine egg and milk and stir into dry ingredients. Knead gently until a dough is formed. Divide dough into 16 pieces. Cover and let rest for 30 min. Preheat oven to 400.
2. To make the filling: In a large pot, boil an inch of water and wilt spinach (or use a steamer). Then dry with towel and chop finely.
3. Heat olive oil, sauté garlic, add tomato. Stir in spinach, chopped eggs, almonds, and salt. Stir to mix, remove from heat and let cool.
4. Roll each portion of dough and place 3 TBSP of filling on each. Fold dough over and seal. Just before baking, brush with the egg yolk thinned with milk. Bake until lightly golden, about 20 min. Serve warm.

And I couldn’t resist making dessert empanaditas. I chopped strawberries, added a small amount of strawberry jam, and topped it off with a little bit of dark chocolate. The filling made it an awesome dessert!

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers after a visit back home

Over the weekend, we went home to visit Patrick’s parents. The visit also included a first time golf outing for Patrick. During our visit, we acquired some lovely peppers from their neighbor. It was great timing too, because I was craving stuffed peppers!

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

I substituted many of the ingredients fore example I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned and an assortment of peppers instead of only bell peppers. The cheese was an organic swiss, purchased in Amish Country with my family while in Ohio. Also, since I didn’t have a stove, the vegetables (minus the peppers) were all steamed with a food steamer.

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped (½ cup)
• 1 Tbs. ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry (I used fresh)
• 2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, liquid reserved (I only used 1 fresh tomato)
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• ¾ cup quinoa
• 3 large carrots, grated (1 ½ cups)
• 1 ½ cups grated reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, divided
• 4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.

For dessert, Patrick surprised me by taking us to a deli where he ate lunch. It was so cute! They had one counter displaying some delicious looking pizzas, fresh bread in bushels, and three counters with little desserts!! Mmmmm! It was a beautiful feast for the eyes. We left with seven little items. I forget what they all were (except delicious) but some included: an eclair, cannoli, date bar/cookie, and raspberry petite four (cake). The winners were the date bar and the raspberry petite four. What a lovely evening!

My Oh My, Peach Pie, I mean Galette

Dinner this evening; I thought we were having company so I made an eye pleasing and tasty dinner. It ended up that they had to work late (this is a busy week), but Patrick and I enjoyed it together. :-) We had: Spinach and three-bean enchiladas, Roasted red bell pepper hummus in cucumber cups, and Peach galette. Patrick loved it all! He even said that this was the best dessert he’s ever had (and he doesn’t like dessert)!

Spinach and Three Bean Enchiladas (found in FamilyCircle magazine)

 

 Ingredients:

½ large onion chopped

4 cloves garlic chopped

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

2 tomatoes, blended

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 bag baby spinach

½ cup chopped cilantro

6 whole wheat tortillas

1 ½ cups shredded cheese.

Heat oven to 350 degrees, coat a cake pan with cooking spray.

Saute onion and garlic, stir in beans tomatoe and spices.  Simmer 3 minutes

Gradually stir in spinach until wilted, stir in cilantro and lightly mash bean mixture with a potatoe masher.  Spoon into tortilla, wrap place in pan. Sprinkle cheese over top bake for 30 minutes.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus

I added sesame seeds, it made them look like sushi! To make the cucumber cups, scoop out most of the center of the cucumber slice.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans (each 15 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
• 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 tsp. smoked sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp. toasted ground cumin seed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Pita bread or pita chips and crudités for serving

Directions:

In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, garlic, bell pepper, lemon juice, tahini, paprika and cumin and pulse until the mixture just comes together. With the processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil until incorporated. Season with salt. Serve with pita bread or pita chips and crudités for dipping. Makes about 3 cups.

Peach Galette

I ended up adding blueberries and toasted almonds.

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 oz (1/2 cup, 1 stick, 8 Tbsp) butter, cut into small (1/2-inch) cubes, chilled in freezer at least 15 minutes, preferably an hour
• 4 to 6 Tbsp ice water

Filling:

• 2 large, not-overly-ripe yellow peaches (about 3/4 pound total), pitted, sliced into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch slices
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp almond paste (optional)
• 1 teaspoon butter

• 1 egg
• A sprinkling of coarse sugar (optional)

METHOD

1 Make the crust dough. In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt, until well mixed. Add the cubed butter, and pulse 8 times. The butter should still be the size of peas in the mixture. Slowly add the ice water, a tablespoon or two at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the dough just begins to clump. Turn out onto a clean surface. Use your clean hands to form into a disc. Do not over-knead. Work the dough only enough to bring it barely together into a disk. Sprinkle with a little flour on all sides, wrap with plastic, and place into the refrigerator to chill for an hour. (See our pate brisee recipe for more detailed instruction if you are new to making crusts.)

2 Preheat the oven with the rack in the middle position to 425°F (220°C). Place the peach slices in a bowl and sprinkle with the flour and sugar. Toss gently to coat. Sprinkle vanilla extract over the peaches.

3 In a small bowl, whisk the egg until smooth and set aside.

4 On a lightly floured, clean, smooth surface, roll out the dough to about a 12-inch diameter. Gently lift up the rolled out dough and place it on a rimmed baking sheet.

5 If you are using almond paste (not necessary, but a nice addition if you have it), dot the middle 6-inch circle of the dough with the almond paste. (If you can spread it, great. Otherwise, just dot with little bits.) Arrange the peach slices in an overlapping pattern in a single layer in the center of the dough, forming about a 7 or 8-inch circle. Dot with a little butter.

6 Fold the outer edges of the dough round over the filling, by about 2-inches all the way around, in an accordion fashion. Use a pastry brush to coat the exposed dough with an egg wash (you can cook up the leftover egg as a little scrambled egg, by the way), and sprinkle with coarse sugar if using.

7 Place in the oven and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet, over a rack, about 15 minutes.

Great served with a little vanilla ice cream.

MMmmmmmm!

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup

After laying out in the sun and relaxing by the pool on this wonderful Sunday, I came in to make wonderful dinner. Mmmm, I knew Patrick would like it!

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
• 1 large onion, medium diced
• 6 to 8 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 heaping teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• 3 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
• 1 quart vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (5-ounce) package pre-washed baby spinach
• Rice (well I added the rice and only one can of chickpeas)

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until the onions begin to turn translucent; lower heat if browning starts to occur. Add spices and saute a minute or so. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, broth, and sugar. Season with a couple pinches of salt and 10 grinds fresh pepper. Stir well. Chickpeas should be just covered with liquid. If level is shy, add some water so the chickpeas are just covered.

Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to low and gently simmer for 45 minutes.

Remove soup from heat. Use a potato masher to mash up some of the chickpeas right in the pot. Stir in the spinach and let heat through until wilted, just a couple minutes.

Season again, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve soup, drizzled lightly with extra-virgin olive oil, if desired.

Oh, and I made Roasted Garlic and White Bean Hummus (It was really good)!

Ingredients

• garlic
• 1 can Great Northern beans
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil (plus extra to drizzle on top)
• 1/4 cup tahini
• Salt & pepper
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• chopped fresh rosemary

Instructions

In a food processor, combine the white beans, cooking liquid or water, olive oil, tahini, salt and pepper, garlic, rosemary, and lemon juice. Blend well. Serve with roasted or raw vegetables, pita chips or pita bread, or a loaf of crusty whole wheat bread.

Tijuana Torta and Moroccan Israeli Couscous with Roasted Vegetables

Here are my dinner dishes from Wednesday and Thursday:

Tijuana Torta

INGREDIENTS

• 1 15-ounce can black beans, or pinto beans, rinsed (see Note)
• 3 tablespoons prepared salsa
• 1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeño
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 16- to 20-inch-long baguette, preferably whole-grain
• 1 1/3 cups shredded green cabbage

PREPARATION

1. Mash beans, salsa, jalapeño and cumin in a small bowl. Mash avocado, onion and lime juice in another small bowl.
2. Cut baguette into 4 equal lengths. Split each piece in half horizontally. Pull out most of the soft bread from the center so you’re left with mostly crust. Divide the bean paste, avocado mixture and cabbage evenly among the sandwiches. Cut each in half and serve.

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the bean mixture (Step 1) for up to 3 days.

• Note: While we love the convenience of canned beans, they tend to be high in sodium. Give them a good rinse before adding to a recipe to rid them of some of their sodium (up to 35 percent) or opt for low-sodium or no-salt-added varieties. (This recipe is analyzed with rinsed, regular canned beans.) Or, if you have the time, cook your own beans from scratch.

(I USED SPINACH INSTEAD OF CABBAGE AND A ROLL INSTEAD OF A BAGUETTE, AND I DID NOT HAVE JALEPENOS.)

Moroccan Israeli Couscous with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 2 cups uncooked israeli (pearl) couscous
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Preheat oven to 400º

1. Pour chopped peppers and tomatoes on a foil-lined cookie sheet and drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place sheet in the oven for 25 minutes.

2. Add 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth to a medium pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the couscous. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5-7 minutes or until couscous is soft. Fluff with a fork.

3. Meanwhile, heat the 2 Tbs olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; sauté onion and garlic until golden. Add the spices and lime juice and sauté 2-3 minutes. Transfer the cooked couscous to the pot and add another 1/2 cup vegetable broth. Simmer until the sauce thickens while making sure the couscous does not get overly dried out (add an extra 1/4 cup broth if necessary).

3. After the 25 minute roasting time is up, remove the roasted tomatoes and pepper from the oven. Carefully spoon from the tray to the couscous pot and mix. Serve piping hot!

(I HAD A FLAVORED COUSCOUS MIX AND SO CHANGED THE SPICES.)

Back to the Rapids and Chickpea, Potato, and Spinach Jalfrezi

For our first dinner back in Roanoke Rapids, I made this Jalfrezi dish. Well, like most of my dinners, I only used the recipe as a guideline. My version did not have the cuntney, nor the ginger, chilies, red pepper, cilantro, turmeric, and coriander. It was delicious! (Another note, when creating my meals in Roanoke, I have limited resources so when it says to use a stove, I do not have one to use. I make due.)

Chickpea, Potato, and Spinach Jalfrezi with Cilantro Chutney

Ingredients

• 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into rough 1 1/2-inch chunks
• Kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
•  1 medium onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater
• 3 cloves of garlic, grated on a microplane grater
• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated on a microplane grater
• 4 to 5 small green Thai bird chiles (or other green chiles, if you prefer)
• 1 small red pepper, finely diced
• 8 stems cilantro, leaves roughly chopped, tender stems finely minced and reserved separately
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon hot paprika
• 2 small plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped (canned tomato is fine)
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, with their liquid
• 8 ounces curly spinach, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoon juice from 2 limes
• For the Cilantro Chutney
• 2 cups picked fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 small green Thai bird chile

Procedures

1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water by 1-inch. Season to taste with salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender but not falling apart, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add grated onion, garlic, ginger, chiles, cilantro stems, and red pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the moisture has evarporated and mixture is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add turmeric, coriander, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add chopped tomatoes, chickpeas, spinach, 1/2 cup of water, and cooked potatoes. Stir until spinach wilts. Add half of lime juice and season to taste with salt. reduce heat to lowest setting, cover, and keep warm while making chutney.
4. For the Chutney: Combine cilantro, garlic, chile, and remaining lime juice in a blender or in the cup of a hand blender and add 1/3 cup water. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides and adding water as necessary. Season to taste with salt.
5. Add more liquid to jalfrezi if necessary and serve with chutney and steamed basmati rice or naan