Britain vs. America: Vegetable Names

I've come across this video on Anglophenia in which Kate Arnell teaches seven vegetables with different names in America and Britain. Quite useful whichever side of the pond you live.

September Drinks

When I first saw the pears my father-in-law offered me the other day, to be honest, I wasn't thrilled at all. They were pretty small and had very dark skin. They seemed tasteless or even rotten. 

Appearances can be deceiving. They were super sweet and soft inside which inspired me to make a September drink to offer to my guests on bajram* visits. After adding some dried figs and cloves, it turned into a perfect seasonal drink with a sweet and pleasant taste.

All you need to get this zingy drink is place pears, figs and cloves into a pan, fill it up with water and bring to a boil. Then simmer until all the ingredients get soft and release their flavours into the mixture. Then add caster sugar, stir until sugar is dissolved and remember that the amount of all these ingredients depends on your personal taste. Play with them. 

* Both Eid and Eid al-Adha in Bosnian.

Getting Ready for Eid al-Adha 2015

My mother-in-law never skips traditional Bosnian pie for bajrams* (both Eid and Eid al-Adha celebrated by Muslims). She makes two types of the well-known pie (one with cheese and one with minced meat**) the day before bajram. You wake up to the smell of the fresh baked pies and drool until the men come back from the bajram prayer at the mosque. The breakfast table is set and everybody digs in. 

A panorama in 12 folds showing Muslims returning from their Mosques after Eid prayers in the Mughal Empire

* Eid in Bosnian 

**Bosnian pie is also made with spinach or other green leaves, squash or potatoes.

Back to the Kitchen: Zucchini Fritters

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini, grated

1/4 cup plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten

zest of 1 small lemon

1 clove of garlic, minced

handful of grated cheese, Parmesan or pecorino

pinch of dried oregano and mint

handful of fresh parsley and dill leaves, chopped

salt and black pepper 

olive oil for shallow-frying

Method

1. Add salt to the grated zucchini in a large bowl and set aside for 10 minutes.

2. Place a colander over the sink and press the zucchini against the holes of the colander with a wooden spoon to extract the water. You should squeeze out small handfuls at a time. 

3. Put the zucchini back to the bowl. Mix in all the other ingredients (except olive oil) and scrunch it all up very well with your hands.

4. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry tablespoons of zucchini mixture over medium-high heat until golden brown on each side. 

5. Serve warm with yogurt.  

Notes

*Wring out the zucchini very well. Otherwise, your fritters will go soggy.

* Adjust the herbs and flavours to your taste. Leave out or add in any ingredient. 

* If the mixture turns watery, add more breadcrumbs. 

* Don't over-crowd the frying pan with fritters. 

* Drain the fritters on paper towel before serving. 

Lemon Cake

 "...man is not truly one, but truly two."

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

125 grams butter, softened , plus extra for greasing the tin

1 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons finely grated zest (2 lemons)

4 medium eggs

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease the baking tin or mould

 with softened butter and dust with flour.

2. Dust flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and

 mix.

3. Beat together butter, sugar, cream and lemon zest in

 another bowl using an electric mixer until pale and creamy.

4. Add the eggs one at a time mixing slowly through.

5. Stir in olive oil, vanilla extract and lemon juice. 

6. Sift in the flour mixture and using a spatula mix until well

 combined.

7. Bake for 45-50 minutes until a thin skewer inserted into

 the centre of the cake comes out clean. 

8. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or spread jam over before

 serving.

Date & Cocoa Raw Truffles

“Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine.”

This is the simplest version of date truffles. Don't hesitate to add in your favourite spices or nuts to the mix. Even for the coating, you can go for ground nuts, shredded coconut or even sesame seeds. 

Ingredients

• 10-15 soft dates
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (15 grams)
• 1-2 tbsp of coconut oil/rum/vanilla extract, optional
• some unsweetened cocoa more to roll the truffles

Method

1. De-seed the dates and process them with cocoa powder into a smooth paste in a food processor.

2. Depending on your dates, the paste might turn too hard or crumbly to shape. Then use a bit of oil, vanilla extract or alcohol to help it come together.

3. Take a spoonful of the paste and roll it between your palms to make balls. The size of the balls is all up to you.

4.  Roll them over unsweetened cocoa. 

Hummus

“Excellent!" I cried. "Elementary," said he.” 

Ingredients
125 grams dried chickpeas
1/4 cup tahini 
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, about 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt, depending on taste
3 tablespoons water, plus more depending on the thickness of hummus

Method
1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of water. Drain and transfer to a pan of boiling water. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 1 to 2 hours, until tender. Drain and return to the pan. 
2. In a food processor, combine tahini and lemon juice. Process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and process for 30 seconds.
2. Add in the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin and salt to the mixture. Process for another 1 minute.
3. Add half of the chickpeas and process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and add the remaining chickpeas. Process for another 2 minutes or until you get a thick and smooth consistency. 
4. To get a thinner and even smoother consistency, add in 3 tablespoons of water with the processor on. 
5. Transfer to a plate and drizzle with olive oil. 

Classic Raspberry Crisp

I've been looking for an easy recipe that would combine oatmeal, coconut and fruit and finally found it on the reluctantentertainer.com: raspberry crisp. Such a delicious and healthy dessert! You can serve it with your favorite vanilla ice cream or plain sour cream. Remember that you can go for more coconut or add in even ground cinnamon for a change.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, gently toss raspberries with sugar and 3 tablespoons of flour.
2. Pour the berries into a greased 8-in. square baking dish.
3. In another large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, coconut, and remaining flour.
4. Add in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
5. Lightly sprinkle the crumb mixture over the berries.
6. Bake at 185 C° for 30 minutes or until golden brown. 

Cinnamon Braid Bread a.k.a. Estonian Kringle

"I was never really insane except upon occasions when my heart was touched." 

I've never been good at braiding my hair. It's a fact. But when you have two daughters who want to rock braids, you find yourself looking for other blogs to help you out with how to braid from scratch. While I was searching for braid styles for my daughters, I came across this fantastic website, beautified designs, where you see 57+ Ghana braids styles listed along with beautiful photos. Click on the link to check the page out 57+ Ghana Braids Styles with Pictures.

And inspired by braiding, here comes the cinnamon braid recipe. 

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
1 tbsp sugar
15 g fresh yeast 
30 g melted butter
1 egg yolk
Filling
50 g softened butter
5 tbsp sugar
3 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp grounded almonds, optional

Method
1. In a medium bowl stir fresh yeast with sugar until it liquefies. Stir in the lukewarm milk and then add the egg yolk and melted butter.
2. In a large bowl whisk together flour and salt. Pour the milk mixture over the dry ingredients and start kneading it until it pulls away from the edges of the bowl. Give the dough the shape of a ball. Sprinkle oil onto a clean bowl, place the dough and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it rest for about 1 hour at room temperature until doubled in size.
3. While the dough rises, whisk together the butter with sugar and cinnamon for the filling. Set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 200 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. On a floured surface, using a rolling pin roll the dough to a rectangle of about 45x30 cm. 
6. Keep about 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon filling for the end and spoon the rest over top, spreading evenly. Leave a clean 1.5 cm border around the edges. 
7. Sprinkle the almonds over the cinnamon filling.
8. Roll up the dough and using a sharp knife, cut the log in half lengthwise leaving one edge uncut for about 1,5 cm.
9. Start braiding the two pieces, trying to keep the open layers exposed so the cut ends remain on top. Pinch the ends together and form a wreath.
10. Transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the wreath with the left cinnamon filling.
11. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. For the last 10 minutes you can reduce the oven temperature to 180 C. 

Madımak with Chicken and Pine Nuts

“Alice came to a fork in the road. 'Which road do I take?' she asked.
'Where do you want to go?' responded the Cheshire Cat.
'I don't know,' Alice answered.
'Then,' said the Cat, 'it doesn't matter.” 

Ingredients

1 big chicken leg

6-8 cups water

250-300 grams dried madimak

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove of garlic

1 medium onion

25-30 grams pine nuts

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 small lemon, sliced

salt and pepper 

additional boiling water

Method

1. Put the chicken leg in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer slowly for at least 45 minutes. Skim the white residue off the top every now and again. Remove the chicken leg from the pan. It should be perfectly cooked and ready for tearing into slivers.

2. Strain the broth and set aside.

3. Tear the cooked chicken into chunks and set aside.

4. Rinse the madimak leaves and set aside.

5. Chop the garlic and onion finely and set aside. 

6. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, lidded skillet or casserole and add the minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until it begins to sizzle and smell fragrant, about 30 seconds.

7. Stir in the chopped onion and pine nuts and cook, stirring often, for about 5 to 10 minutes, until the onions have turned translucent. 

8. Add in the chicken chunks and tomato paste. Stir in another 2-3 minutes until all mixed.

9. Add in the madimak leaves, lemon slices, salt and pepper and broth and bring to a simmer. 

10. Simmer for another 25 minutes and add boiling water once the broth has reduced. 

11. Once the madimak is tender, remove from heat and serve warm.

Polygonum Cognatum a.k.a. Madımak

• Madımak is a weedy creeping plant and seen as an invasive troublemaker by the farmers. 
• Poly means 'many' and qonu means 'knee' in Greek. It's fun to find out the reference: The plant has a swollen jointed stem. 
• Madımak is native to Turkey, Georgia, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan and the plant appears in dense clusters with pink, white or greenish flowers with the arrival of spring.
• Madımak was classified in the polygonum family in London after samples were shipped to the experts there in 1949.

• It's not known how exactly madimak has made it to the Turkish cuisine but I guess the knowledge that madımak is edible was carried into the Central Anatolia along with the Turks upon their arrivals in the region from Asia long time ago. 
• Even in Turkey, madımak isn't widely consumed despite the recent 'Keep calm & Eat local' trend. It's picked by the local people in a few towns - Sivas, Yozgat and Tokat basically. 
• However, madımak is a legend in the region and has a long history of usage. The local people have come up with several recipes using madımak varying from madımak with bulgur to steak stuffed with madımak, apricots and nuts. 
• It's easier to find madımak at the farmers markets in big cities, both fresh and dried. 
• Madımak has even inspired the local musicians to some well-known songs in Turkey. Cool, isn't it? 

Well, I haven't come across any studies or research involving the health benefits of madımak, however, it's been claimed that 

• madımak can help reduce the symptoms of diabetes and kidney stones. The tea made with the dried knots of the plant is known as effective in treating stomach and intestine disorders and used as an antiseptic against dysentery. 

Polygonum cognatum herbarium specimen from Kew, VC17 Surrey in 1877.