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.

Smoked Salmon Pasta

We started to smoke our very own salmon! More on that later. We organized two blind tasting and wine paring events and our salmon won both times, from five different tasters at each event, hands down! The credit goes to our friend David Shipman who handcrafted the salmon. Anyhow...we had left over salmon from the tastings-- of course not our salmon, but those that lost the tasting...commercial smoked salmon. Here is a quick recipe to make the most of that salmon that is not so great....I think great salmon is best enjoyed uncooked...Simple and plain.

This recipe is easy, quick (15 mins) and tastes and looks great. Here is what you need:

100 grams, or one package of smoked salmon
500 grams, or one box of pasta (I used tagliatelle)
4 table spoons of olive oil
2 table spoons of butter
1 finely chopped medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 table spoons of drained capers
4 ounces of cream cheese (approx. 6 table spoons)
2 cups of dry white wine
3 table spoons chopped parsley
1 table spoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the pasta according to directions on the box
Heat a medium sized pan over medium heat
add the olive oil
when the oil is hot, but not sizzling, add the butter
when the butter is hot add the chooped onions and garlic and cook until translucent, about 3-5 mins.
Add the capers and cook for about a minute.
Add the wine and reduce by half
Add the cream cheese and mix it in until it melts
Add in the red pepper flakes and reduce heat as low as possible and simmer
When the pasta has cooked, add the chopped salmon into the sauce and cook for another minute or two....not too much!
Pour over the pasta
Garnish with fresh pasley and serve.

You can serve additional capers on the side. You can also skip the pasley and instead serve chopped pasley, dill and other garnishes (maybe lemon or orange zest) to the table and let your guests create their own variations.

Artichokes and a Sivas Kangal Dog

We visited a trout farm that belongs to a lovely couple, friends of family. I am only posting pictures to share the artichokes and one of three baby Sivas Kangals that had just arrived to protect the farm-- it was very difficult not to succumb to their looks begging for food. But they have to grow up to be tough guardian dogs...no fancy artichoke dishes for them. The artichokes are a classic Turkish dish made with olive oil and served cold. Recipe can be shared with those interested.

Lamb three ways

From foodplay

1. Rosemary scented potatoes and roasted pepper ratatouille, with rosemary lemon drizzle
2. Mint tabouleh and dill, cumin yogurt sauce, with mint lemon drizzle
3. Mushroom garam masala and date-cilantro basmati, with cilantro lemon drizzle

Fried Rice

My favorite fried rice was from a Thai restaurant in Philadelphia. What made it so special was that the vegies seemed a bit over sauteed and the rice in someplaces was a bit burnt. The secret was their wok was very very hot! I now found a teflon coated cast iron wok that retains heat incredibly well and yields the same flavor that I miss from those Thai days.

As in most stir fries, this dish will cook fast. So it's best to prepare all of your ingredients in advance.

Cook two cups of rice (preferably the night before. Make sure it's cool if you cook the rice the same day):
Rinse two cups of jasmine rice (this gets rid of the access starch and keeps the rice from becoming clumpy)
Add 3 cups of hot water (normally you would use 4 cups, but a little undercooked rice works best with fried rice), and birng to boil
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

In a small pan on the side, scramble two eggs, and place them in a bowl.

Heat your wok....be patient and let it really heat up....and keep it on high heat through out the cooking process.
Add 4 tablespoons of canola oil
When the oil is hot,
Add 1 large half-moon sliced onion, stir fry for 3 minutes
Add the following according to your taste after the onion
1 thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 thinly sliced green peppper
1 thinly sliced carrot
1 cup of chopped brocooli
Add the rice, in small batches, and mix with the veggies and make sure it's full coated with the juices
Add 1 cup of green peas and/or 1 cup of snow peas
Add the scambled egg
Stri fry it everything for two more minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
and 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir fry for one more minute and take of the heat
Mix in a cup of thinly sliced green onions
And serve

You can always ad shrimp in the stage where you add green peas if you like shrimp fried rice. Make sure not to add shrimp at the begining to avoid overcooking them.

Nova Lox- Simple, light, tasty summer breakfast

I love this simple combination bringing together the freshness of cucumbers and tomatoes together with salmon's rich smoked taste. I only wish we could easily find bagels in Turkey. My friend executive chef David Shipman smokes the salmon for us at his home in Istanbul....and I never imagined smoked salmon could taste this good until David home-smoked the first batch.

Toast a few slices of bread (or better yet bagels if you can get them)
Put a thin layer of cream cheese on the toasts
Garnish with thinly sliced fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion
Place the salmon above them.
Add salt and pepper to taste and top with capers.
Enjoy

Sunday Poached Eggs

Poached eggs have come into my life from many directions these past few weeks. I traveled to London, D.C. and New York, and was surrounded by friends who all wanted to have poached eggs sunday mornings. So I thought I should learn how to make them. I tested several methods and now have one that I think is easy and will help you enjoy poached eggs on Sunday mornings. I still have to discover where you can get the best poached eggs in Istanbul.

Take the eggs out of the fridge to bring them to room temperature
Crack your eggs into individual cups (I use espresso cups). This also helps them come to room temperature faster and allows you to put your eggs in the pot faster and safer without breaking the yolk.
Boil water in a sauce pan or a small pot, at least three inches high so that the eggs will not stick to the bottom.
Add 2 tablespoons of white or rice vinegar
When the water comes to boil, lower the heat to bring the water to a simmer
Slowly dip your espresso cups into the water to release the eggs. You can gently try to push the whites closer to the yolk.
Don't worry about the tangling whites.
Cook for 3 minutes for medium runny eggs, 2 for runnier and 4-5 for firm yolks.
Take your eggs out with a slotted spoon and serve them with the bottom side up for a more pleasant representation. You can serve them on a toast garnished with parsley, chives, scallions and black pepper.
To add some flavor, I sprinkle garlic and onion powder on the toast before I place the egg on it.

Grilled caramalized peaches, served with raspberry cream and vanilla ice cream

I was invited to a family bbq. They are always fun but I wanted to venture out of the Turkish kebab routine and challenge the guests with something a bit different. I had read on Serious Eats about a few ideas...They I saw the pictures of grilled peaches, something I had always wanted to make but never tried....They turned out to be amazing...I also ventured from the original recipe and spiced it up.

Raspberry whipped cream:

Using a mixer, mix

2 cups of heavy cream

2 cups of sugar

1 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries,

Place the mixture in the refrigerator while preparing the peaches

Peaches:

Prepare 6-8 peaches, halved

Melt 8 tbs butter and 6 tbsps brown sugar in a small sauce pan

Add in 2 tbsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Add a pinch of salt

Squeeze 1 lime into the mixture

Heat the grill

Brush the cut side of the peaches with the butter mixture and place cut side down on the grill

While on the grill, brush the skin side of the peaches

Grill for about 5 minutes, then brush the skin side again and flip the peaches

Grill for another 5 minutes with skin side down, occassionaly continuing to brush the peaches

Serve with the raspberry cream and vanialla ice cream on the side.

Two of my cats, enjoying the summer...

Pomegranate Sour Lamb Chops

This recipe combines the subtle sweetness of pomegranate with the acidity of red wine, and goes really well with salty seared meats. I tried it with lamb chops and tested it with three crowds, and it was a winner every time.

Heat 2 tbsps olive oil in a small sauce pan
Add 1/2 chopped onion and 2 minced cloves of garlic when the oil is hot
Add 1 1/2 cup dry red wine, bring to boil
Add 1 tbsp rosemary and 1 tbsp thyme (preferably fresh)
Simmer until wine is almost dry
Add 3 tbsps pomegranate syrup, bring to boil
Add 1/2 cup cream, stir continue cooking on medium heat until the sauce has a thick consistency.
Season with salt and pepper (I add some red pepper flakes to give it a lasting kick).

Sear lamb chops or any other meat to your liking. You can chop up the meat into bite sizes after it is cooked, and serve the meat on a plate with toothpicks and the sauce next to it, as tapas. Or you can plate the meat and pour some sauce on the side. Garnish with fresh rosemary.

Broccoli and Stilton Soup a la California

My very good friend Sharon from California has been living in London for the past year--after almost three years in Aceh Indonesia. She is an amzing cook and we've created many recipes together. Soup is her thing these days and here is her take on a British classic. Enjoy:

50g butter
2 large onions
600 g broccoli, trimmed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1.2 litres weak vegetable stock or chicken stock
3 tbsp double cream
150g blue Stilton, crumbled (or any other blue cheese)


1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Sautee onions, broccoli, salt,
sugar and nutmeg. Stirring, 5 - 7 minutes

2. Add the stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat
immediately and simmer for 10 minutes. Don't over simmer, as broccoli
will turn brown/yellow.

3. Use hand blender or regular blender in batches until smooth.

4. Return to the pan and stir in the cream and Stilton. Stir over a
low heat until the cheese is well combined.

The food or the view

Great views always inspire creativity. Here is the view from my apartment in Beylerbeyi Istanbul where I host my dinners with friends. There is a little fishermen's port where one get daily caught fresh fish. Here is how Timeout Istanbul (unjustly in my view) describes my neighborhood as:

Just beyond the first Bosphorus Bridge stands Beylerbeyi Palace, last of the great ugly Ottoman palaces. Facing north-west, it gets little direct sunlight - the place was intended as a summer annexe to the main palace at Dolmabahçe. Beylerbeyi didn't even have its own kitchen: food was brought over from the European shore by boat. After being deposed in 1908, Sultan Abdul Hamit II spent the last years of his life here...The village of Beylerbeyi boasts a pretty harbour with tea houses and a few pleasant restaurants. The nearby Hamidievvel Mosque is unusual in having a rose garden. At weekends, the area by the ferry jetty gets taken over by craft stalls.

Honey rosemary glazed 15 minute rack of lamb

Rosemary honey-soy rack of lamb-- in a toaster oven!

This is very quick and tasty dish with a great display. I had to quickly prepare a tasty meal for a few meat loving friends who were coming over with great expectations. My idea to use a toaster oven to save time and gain control over the food was initially dismissed but proved to be a very practical one. Toaster ovens heat quickly and give you full control of the crusty glaze.

1 rack of lamb (about 8 chops)
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp dry rosemary
2 tbsp fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Bring the lamb to room temperature. You can do this simply by leaving the lamb outside while you prepare the glaze. Crank up the dial of your toaster oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the honey, olive oil, soy sauce, dry rosemary together with salt and pepper to your taste. Coarsely cracked fresh black pepper is a great addition! Rub the mixture generously on the lamb. Place it into your toaster oven, with the fatty side up (this will ensure the lamb is juicy). If your oven has a "toast" button, or a broil button, press the button as soon as you place the lamb in the oven. This will give the lamb an initial seal and start forming the crust. Bake for 15 minutes for medium rear. Press the toast button once more before you take the lamb out to finish the crust (if it hasn't already formed). And voila.

Place on a large cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary to dress it up, and slice the chops on the dinner table. Serve with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies such as asparagus.

Ezogelin soup

Ezogelin Soup!
I eat this soup at least once a weak. It's a typical soup you can get at any restaurant in Turkey. Over the weekend I took a Turkish cooking lesson. It was a perfect occasion that brought together food lovers from different circles. We learned how to make Ezogelin soup (a traditional lentil soup with pepper paste and dried mint), Yaprak Sarma (rolled grape vines), Imam Bayildi (a famous egg plant dish with looooots of onions), Mucver (zucchini fritters), and last but not least walnut stuffed figs cooked in light clove infused syrup.

Here is the recipe for the soup:

6 cups red lentils, washed but NOT soaked!
1 cup coarse bulgur
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp red pepper paste
1 tbsp dried mint-- fresh mint will not work!
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
5 cups of chicken stock
4 cups water
1 tsp flour

Simmer the lentils for 15-20 minutes in about 4 cups of water, until they disintegrate and turn into mush. Set aside. Don't worry if they start drying. In a large boiling pot, melt the butter together with the oil (the oil will prevent the butter from burning). Add the flour to the melted butter to prepare a light roux. Mix in the mint, the tomato and pepper pastes, and the red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add in the chicken stock and the lentils, bring to boil, and mix in the bulgur. Simmer for 10 more minutes and serve with fresh lemon wedges.

If you are in the US, you can buy most of the Turkish ingredients for very reasonable prices online at Tulumba.