Compund Butter - add your own twist

Butter. I used to really dislike butter when I was a kid. Then as a boarding student I discovered the combination of butter and honey, when I was 11, in my protest to eat eggs and pursuit to gain some weight. Then I rediscovered butter when I started to cook, when I learned that I had to watch for my cholesterol and could actually shed a few pounds. I usually try to stay away from it to the extent I can. I think it is a too easy way of adding flavor to any food…and I think restaurants take advantage of this all the time. But compound butter is something else. It allows for creativity and can surprise your guests with new twists on plain main ingredients. Here are three compound butter recipes.

All recipes follow the same basic method. Bring butter to room temperature and fold in the other ingredients using a fork. Refrigerate in a small serving dish (a glass bowl, a ramekin, etc), or roll in wax paper (to be sliced before serving), or create shapes like cookies.

Tequila, jalapeño, lime
Serve with flank steak, fajitas, grilled shrimp
2/3 cup butter
1 chopped fresh jalapeño (or any other hot pepper)
3 tablespoons of tequila
Zest of a lime
Juice form ½ lime

Lemon, garlic, parsley
Serve with any fish. Would be perfect with grilled sardines!
2/3 cup butter
¼ cup chopped parsley
Zest from ½ lemon
Juice from ½ lemon
2 cloves of chopped garlic
Black pepper to taste

Dill, capers, white wine
Serve with smoked or grilled salmon
2/3 cup butter
¼ cup chopped dill
¼ finely diced red onions
¼ cup capers
¼ dry white wine
Black pepper to taste

You can try your own variations. Hint: It’s almost impossible to go wrong with butter, fresh herbs, citrus and your favorite drink!

Gazpacho, with an optional kick

Gazpacho. They say today will be the hottest day in Istanbul this summer. 35 degrees Celsius, or almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat seems to usually kill my appetite, at least for fried stuff, or pastries, or any meat dishes. But there are also dishes that are best enjoyed in the heat, and can even make a hot summer day in the city a lot more pleasant.

Gazpacho is one of those dishes that is perfect on a steamy day--it's refreshing, healthy, and delicious! I was trying to describe it to friends who’ve never heard of gazpacho before and I said imagine the juice of a fresh salad with plump tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and slightly salty vinaigrette. I owe my love for Gazpacho to Suzan Bishop of Annapolis. I used to work for Suzan as a gardner and I learned how to make Gazpacho from her and her beloved husband Jeff. We enjoyed it after long hot summer days in Annapolis.

The recipe I want to share is a variation of Jose Andres’s recipe from from his book Tapas: A taste of Spain in America. He credits his wife Tichi for the recipe.

2 pounds, or a kilo of red tomatoes (I try to buy the tomatoes in advance and leave them on my counter, even a sunny spot, for a few days to allow them to fully ripen)
1 cucumber
1/5 green bell pepper (1 full pepper if you are in Europe ☺, American sized bell peppers are huge!)
1 hot pepper (could be a jalapeño, or a couple of the small Thai hot peppers)
1 garlic clove
2 table spoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
¾ cups of extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of salt

Most recipes call for peeling the tomatoes. I like the chewy texture of the soup and I leave them unpeeled. Cut and quarter the tomatoes, discarding their cores. Place them in the blender. Peel and chop the cucumber in a few large chunks, and add to the blender. Cut up the pepper in large pieces, peel and cut the garlic cloves into a few pieces. Blend all of it together until it almost reaches your preferred consistency. Then add the oil, vinegar and salt, and reblend to mix it all together.

It’s hard to wait for the next day to enjoy it, so pour your self a glass or a bowl. But I highly recommend chilling the rest in a non-reactive container (a glass pitcher for example) over night in your fridge. The taste is infinitely better after the flavors blend.

You can serve in small cups before a party, or in bowls or glass cups as a soup appetizer. Garnish with chives and with a little additional olive oil.