Mini Beef and Pepper Stacks

Mediterranean Holiday Series 7 -Döner Kebab in Istanbul

From Athens, we flew to Istanbul and I tried to conceal the excitement that bubbled through me, as the plane landed at Atatürk International. The pleasures and aromas of Turkish cuisine, experienced previously only via television cookery shows and approximations eaten at Turkish restaurants at home and abroad, were about to become my reality.

I, notoriously, jumped off a tour bus, pulling my husband by the hand at the sight of the watermelon cart around the Sultanahmet gardens. Truth be told, the bus was stationary.

From baklava the Turkish way, lokum (Turkish delight), bagel shaped breads (simit), kebaps, kofta, fresh buffalo cream and Anatolian stews and salads, eating in Istanbul is a food explorer’s dream come true, and many visits are needed to do the cuisine justice.

A very special Döner Kebap (Kebab)

On a backstreets tour of the old city, we discovered Mr Murat in Emin. He makes döner kebap in a very special way. Our guide Claudia who has lived and eaten in Istanbul for most of her life, told us that she didn’t know of anyone who did it this way – layered with tomatoes and peppers. Normally döner consists of layers of meat only. Mr Murat also marinates the meat in onion juice for flavour and to impart moistness. He says he got the idea after a visit of Bodrum and acknowledges that only a few people in Istanbul prepare the döner in this painstaking fashion.

Mr Murat attending to the döner kebap

My Mini Beef Stacks based on the Döner Kebap

Back in my kitchen in Cape Town, I created these mini beef and pepper stacks, based on Mr Murat’s döner, using Mediterranean Delicacies red jalapeño, grilled peppers, onions, a smokey kebab spice from Istanbul and we dipped them in Mediterranean Delicacies creamy pepper dew dip.

It is advisable to marinade the meat in the onion juice if you have time. This makes a wonderful starter or add to your picnic basket or tapas board.

Ingredients

Makes 6 stacks

3 medium peppers (red, green & yellow)

300 g thin beef steak (schnitzel cut is ideal)

1/3 white or red onion finely grated or pureed (optional)

1 medium red onion, sliced thickly

6 Medi Deli red jalapeños

2 T smokey Turkish spice (subs with steak & chops spice)

olive oil for drizzling and frying

salt, to taste

Method

1. Cut peppers in half and core. Flatten gently, pressing with your palm. Cut into approximately 3 cm squares (slightly bigger). Roast drizzled with olive oil on a greased baking tray at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes on fan assist (to absorb moisture). Remove and allow to cool. Shrinkage is normal.

2. Cut the top and bottom ends of the jalapenos off. Cut along one side so that you have one sheath of jalapeño  Fashion into two squares approximately the size of the roasted peppers. Repeat with remaining jalapeños.

3. Fry onions on each side on griddle pan with a generous splash of olive oil, just until griddle marks form.

4.Cut beef into 3 cm cubes. Coat in pureed onion and marinate for 2 hours or more (omit if in a hurry). Dip each side into the smokey spice.  Oil a griddle pan and turn the stove to medium- high. Fry the meat for 30 seconds a side. Season with salt when you remove and set aside. (Turn heat up if necessary – you want the meat to sear not stew)

5. Work quickly while meat is warm. Arrange a stack as follows: beef, green pepper, jalapeño, beef, yellow pepper, jalapeño, red or green pepper,onion and beef. Skewer with a mini bamboo skewer. This is just a guide, you’re welcome to stack the layers however you feel. Repeat.

Sprinkle with sea salt and serve with Mediterranean Delicacies creamy pepper dew dip.

Article by Ishay Govender, aka the Food & The Fabulous - http://www.foodandthefabulous.com/recipes/mini-beef-and-pepper-stacks/

Chicken Pastilla (Chicken B’Stilla)

Cooking with Locals in Fes, Morocco

The Food Market in Fes

We’re out of breath, but fortunately it has been a mostly downhill walk. Jelle switches on the GPS on his phone and clutches it, intently. We’re both certified directionless  We are about to enter the narrow entrance to the market in Fes, Northern Morocco for our cooking class at the Clock Cafe. We’re 5 minutes late and we dive in head first into the cobbled narrow main street with vendors selling breads, vegetables, figs and live chickens. Donkeys ladeN with pails of milk and baskets of goods are led slowly through; we step out of the way.

 Luckily, the cafe is only a few navigable turns away and down a narrow alley. We’re welcomed and taken with a few fellow travellers upstairs where we will will cooking for a the morning.

Clock Cafe is possibly the coolest spot to hang out in Fes – packs of American students here to study Arabic, yoga lessons, pottery and henna tattoos make this multi-level cafe very popular with the young and well-heeled.

But before our class can commence we need ingredients and we go back out into the market. Walking amongst locals buying and haggling for produce for their day’s meal, imbues us foreigners with a feeling of authenticity.

“Thwack!”

The chicken we’ll use during the class is slaughtered in front of us. Naturally, we want to linger and take pictures of everything. The locals are patient and our chef and guide maneuver us out of the way. We sample a market breakfast of large flat breads with a spicy relish, olives and dates.

Instagram pics: around the market in Fes and images from Clock Cafe Cooking class

For the next few hours we are occupied in the kitchen sharing the task of chopping, braising, mixing, kneading and stirring. We take our pastries and dessert cookies to a communal bakery (there is one located on almost every road) and wait while they brown in the wood fire ovens, the temperatures searing-hot.

The bakery charges the equivalent of R10 a tray and the man tending the fire knows which bread belongs to which family just by the shape of it. There are very few families who mark their breads or trays. We saw this in all of the communal bakeries we popped into. It’s truly amazing.

Starving, the anticipation gnawing at us, we are served the bountiful meal we prepared, on the roof top garden. We end with mint tea, as one must in Morocco.

Pastilla

Pasilla (B’stilla) is unique in that it is both savoury and enhanced with sweet, in the form of icing sugar, honey and orange blossom water. Despite initial reservation, it is a spectacularly scrumptious combination and I do hope you try it.

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

4 strands saffron

3 slices ginger, 1/2 cm thickness

4 T parsley and coriander finely chopped

40 g butter

1 red onion, super finely diced

1/2 cinnamon quail

salt, to taste

4 extra large eggs whisked

2 T orange blossom water, plus extra for serving (optional but recommended)

30 g flaked almonds

honey to taste

10-12 sheets Mediterranean Delicacies phyllo pastry

melted butter for brushing

Method

1. Bring 2 cups of water to boil, add chicken breasts, saffron, ginger, parsley, coriander, butter, onion and cinnamon. Lower heat and allow to simmer for an hour or more, until the meat is tender and starts to shred when pulled with a fork. Top up with water if needed.

2. When all the water is absorbed, add almonds and turn to lowest heat setting.

3. Add 3/4 of the whisked eggs slowly, beat with fork.

4. Season with salt and honey to taste and allow to cool.

5. Butter 5–6 phyllo pastry sheets with a pastry brush and stack neatly one on top of the other. Use a sharp knife to slice the pastry sheets in half widthwise.

6.Add 1/4 of the shredded chicken to the halved pastry and form into a round using your hands. Lift one corner up, brush with egg wash and press over the chicken mixture and continue until you have a roughly round pastry pie. Tuck the loose ends under one side and place the smooth, seamless side up. Brush this side with egg wash.

Tip: cut of a litte extra pastry for a smoother, less bulky result but make sure you seal the pie well.

7. Repeat with remaining phyllo and place the pies on a greased baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes at 150 degrees Celsius

8. When ready, dust with icing sugar. Serve with orange blossom water on the side.

This is lovely served warm.

 Article by Ishay Govender, aka the Food & The Fabulous - http://www.foodandthefabulous.com/bread-pastry/chicken-pastilla-chicken-bstilla/

Herby Quinoa & Hake Dolmades with Sultanas and Pine nuts

Mediterranean Holiday Series –5. Mikrolimano, Athens

Mikrolimano piraeus. Image via Athens.com

About 15 kilometers from the centre of Athens, lies the Piraeus, or port and Mikrolimano, the second largest marina in the area. Here you find yachts and recreational boats, fishermen and a strip of seafood restaurants, loved by locals and visitors.

I was brought here by super food blogging trio Pandespani where we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of food and conversation. Eating Greek seafood with Greeks is an incomparable experience. And yes, I’d like more ouzo on ice, please.

The Piraeus is worth venturing out of Athens for, and if I had more time I’d have liked to spend the afternoon exploring and taking pictures – fishermen casting rods, families coming out for lunch, waiters in starched whites, the fleet of yachts and little fishing boats bobbing on the blue waters.

image Wikicommons

Mikrolimano by night – image Greece Pictures.com

Non-Conventional Dolmades

My recipe for dolmades, the Greek and Turkish rice stuffed vine leaf snack, is not traditional at all. In fact it breaks a few rules and after all the taste tests, I can confirm it tastes scrumptious. If you are a fan of the classics, you may need to stand back for this one.

Instead of rice, I use quinoa – the health carb, high in protein that has had the world in a frenzy over the last few years. Also, quinoa cooks far quicker than rice and has a lovely, slightly crunchy texture that I enjoy. Use it as a starch, in salads and stuffings - it is really versatile.

Sultanas are not as sweet as you may think in this recipe, they give a needed contrast and lose some of the sweetness during the cooking process. The herbs are essential to add freshness. In fact you can add a little more after the quinoa has cooked and cooled. Toasted pine nuts are a wonderful Mediterranean ingredient, they add contrast and a buttery nuttiness. Lemon zest adds sprite and white fish is the perfect ingredient for summer.

Usually dolmades are cooked in a pot, covered in a lemony water for 40 minutes or longer, until the water evaporates. Using cooked quinoa and a delicate fish would not work with that long cooking time, also it would strip the seasoned quinoa of all that lovely flavour. So, I experimented with the less agressive steaming method. The leaves do not turn to mush this way, and I prefer the slight bite to them. Al dente vine leaves! Do use the old fashioned method, if you prefer.

I used a bamboo steamer, suspended over a wok of simmering water, allowing the water to get to a slight roll and topping it up as needed. 25-30 minutes is long for a little fish strip, but the leaves need the time to soften; the fish still has a lovely texture as the steaming is gentle.

I used a double steamer and rotated the layers halfway through the cooking (saves time), you can do it this way or one at a time, as per my method below.

When the dolmades are ready, brush with olive oil and serve with tzatziki.

Ingredients

16 Mediterranean Delicatessen vines leaves, rinsed well

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

3 T Italian parsley, very finely chopped

3 T mint, very finely chopped

1/2 t dried oregano

2 T red onion, very finely diced

3 T golden sultanas

1/4 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t sweet chilli pepper flakes

salt, to taste

1 cup water

3 T pine nuts, lightly toasted

1 medium lemon, zested

1/2 medium lemon, juiced plus extra

300 g hake or other firm white fish, skinned, deboned and cut into 5 cm strips, 3/4 cm wide (16 strips)

*few spinach leaves to cover bottom of steamer to prevent sticking*

Method

1. In a small pot on the stove, on medium heat add the quinoa, all the seasonings and herbs listed up until and including the water.

2. When the water comes to a boil (you may have to turn the heat up a little), turn the heat down and partially cover pot with a lid. Monitor and mix with a fork regularly.

3. When the water has been absorbed (around 15 minutes), fluff with a fork. Add pine nuts, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix gently. Season with more salt if needed. Leave to one side to cool.

4. Prepare the vine leaves by trimming stalks, if necessary. Place with apex of leave at top, away from you, on a board. Set out a few leaves on a wooden board.

5. Add a tablespoon of quinoa at base, forming a little ‘sausage’. Lay a strip of fish on top of this. Now, fold sides of the leaf in towards the sausage and roll upwards, forming a tight cigar.

6. Place a few spinach leaves at the bottom of the steamer. Lay the dolmades snugly, each touching, over the spinach leaves, with the seams or untidy edges underneath.

7. Place steamer on a metal trivet over a wok of simmering water (medium heat), not allowing the water to reach the level of the steamer. Allow to steam for 25 minutes. Top up water as needed. Repeat with remainder of dolmades.

Brush dolmades with extra virgin olive oil, serve with lemons and tzatziki. Serve warm or at room temperature. We tried them cold from the fridge too – perfect in the midday heat.

 Article by Ishay Govender, aka the Food & The Fabulous - http://www.foodandthefabulous.com/recipes/herby-quinoa-hake-dolmades-with-sultanas-and-pine-nuts/ 

Arroz de Marisco – Portuguese Seafood Rice

Mediterranean Holiday Series – 4. Lisbon

We ate arroz de marisco, a Portuguese seafood rice, saucier than paella and without the crusty bits, a number of times in Lisbon. Inspired by it I also made a version with chicken, chouriço and blood sausage while we were still there.

Portugal is abundant (perhaps not as much these days) in seafood – shrimp, prawns, clams, shellfish like langoustine, crab and lobster as well as fish. Substitute seafood according to what you have available and the occasion. Frozen seafood may also be used.

I enhanced the sauce by using chopped anchovies, they dissolve in the sauce but impart a saltiness that I find adds depth you can’t achieve with anything else, except perhaps Asian fish sauce.

Adjust the chilli to your liking.

I have been sharing stories about beloved Lisbon, a city I fell in love with in 2008 and in which I based for three months earlier this year between travels, for a while.

I want to share these images with you and for all the reasons I miss Lisbon, click on the link to read more.

My ode to Lisbon and other recipe and travel posts were picked up and translated into a story about the time I spent there, in the local Get It magazine.

Here’s an excerpt:

“I miss the tiled pavements, that goes without saying. Each tile telling a story, many nautical in nature – an art from artisans of a bygone era. I miss the convenience of purchasing fruit (even two plums and a banana being acceptable) just two doors down. I miss the clack-clack-clack of heels on the pavements or the unmistakable rumble of the ramshackle trams. I miss seeing so many old people (and I mean really old) go about their business independently, with everyone else. The impossible hills and the slopes I encouraged us to climb especially after large dinners. The people we met, so warm and welcoming.”

The Recipe

This recipe has several steps and does take a bit of time to put together, but is so worth the extra effort. Making the stock base with the fried prawn heads is crucial to the taste profile of this dish. Budget about 3.5 hours to make this dish in a relaxed and leisurely fashion- from chopping and prep to cooking through the steps. Read through the ingredient list, set everything you need out/store what you don’t need for a while in the fridge (seafood) and go over the instructions to familiarise yourself with the steps. I do hope you enjoy making this dish.

Ingredients

6-8 servings

12-16 large prawns, deveined and shell on, heads chopped and kept aside

300 g fresh mussels, cleaned

1 medium green pepper, diced

1-2 t chilli pepper flakes

4-5 Mediterranean Delicacies anchovy fillets, chopped

300 g firm white fish (e.g gurnard, dorado or kingklip)

1/3 cup Italian flat leaf parsley or coriander (or mix) finely chopped

extra lemon wedges

For the stock base:

1 T olive oil

12-16 prawn heads

1 large carrot, diced

3 T finely diced onion

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

……………………………………………….

2 medium onions, roughly chopped

2 bay leaves

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

410 g fresh ripe tomatoes or a can peeled and chopped Italian tomatoes (best quality), pureed

1 t sugar

1.5 cups seasoned water, plus extra if needed

1.5 cups liquid from steaming mussels

2 mild red chillis, chopped

1.5 cups liquid from steaming mussels

1.5 cups seasoned water, plus extra if needed

2 T fresh lemon juice

salt, to taste

For the rice:

1.5 cups short- medium grain rice (I used arborio in this recipe)

strained stock, plus extra water (if needed)

410 g can chopped, peeled and pureed Italian tomatoes (best quality) —add 1/2 t sugar

3/4 cup dry white wine

Method

1. Tap the mussels a few times. Discard those that are still open. Steam cleaned, de-beared mussels in 2 cups water. Bring to the boil and lower down to a simmer- process shouldn’t take longer than 4- 5 minutes. Discard those that don’t open. Retain 1.5 cups of the steaming liquid (add more if necessary but not too much as the liquid released by the mussels will become diluted)

2. In a frying pan on medium heat, add prawn heads, carrot, chopped onions and garlic. Fry for 4 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat and blend in processor or with hand held blender until smooth. <keep prawns and fish in fridge >

3. To a large pot add the ground prawn mixture, chopped onions, garlic, bay leaves, 1 can or 410 g tomato, sugar, mild chillis, 1.5 cup mussel liquid, 1.5 cup water, lemon juice and salt. Bring to the boil for 10 minutes. Then lower heat slightly and cook for 40 minutes, stirring.

4. Set stock aside, it will have reduced by more than half. Strain through a sieve, pushing the onions and other soft bits through, a little. Don’t force them.

5. In a paella pan or large, deep frying pan add the rice on medium heat. Then ladle the hot stock, bit by bit until it has absorbed, the way you would with risotto. Keep stirring the rice. I prefer to alternate hot stock with wine and the tomato puree until it is all absorbed. Add the chopped anchovies and chilli pepper after the first 5 minutes. [The total process should take around 40 minutes.]

6. When the rice is 3/4 cooked, add the green pepper. The fish will take 6-8 minutes to cook and the prawns 5 minutes, so time this accordingly. You add the seafood directly to the rice and stir around gently, once or twice with a wooden spoon. Be careful not to break the fish up.

7. Switch heat off and add the mussels at the end, adjust seasoning and allow the mussels to infuse with the flavour for 15-20 minutes before serving.

8. Add more water if the rice is too stodgy, stirring carefully. Stir the herbs through.

Serve with lemon wedges and cold beers or lemonade. This dish will continue to deepen in flavour over the next two days. Store in the fridge when it cools.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this four part food and travel series with Medi Deli. Wishing you a very merry Christmas.

This post forms part of the series of recipes I am preparing for Mediterranean Delicacies. It is a Food and the Fabulous Endorsed project and I will be remunerated for it.

Gate to Praca Do Comercio

Article by Ishay Govender, aka the Food & The Fabulous - http://www.foodandthefabulous.com/mains/arroz-de-marisco-portuguese-seafood-rice/

Souvlaki Hot dog – Greek street food with a twist

Mediterranean Holiday Series 3- Athens

Souvlaki – meat on a stick

Souvlaki must be one of the simpler snacks available, cubes of meat grilled on a skewer, and definitely one of the more popular Greek street foods. Much depends on the marinade and when the post-party hunger calls, few foods are more satisfying.

Trendy Snack Bars

There has been a trend throughout the world, to tap back into our nations’ gritty, basic street food culture and feature these loved foods, using exceptionally high quality produce in a modern setting (with wifi).

In Cape Town, we have Gourmet Boerie, a restaurant that serves the famous South Africanboerewors (farmer’s sausage) using a range of high quality meats such as beef, lamb, ostrich and even chicken with high end toppings such as sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese, in a choice of hot dog buns. Purists, and lovers of the parking-lot and Saturday braai (BBQ) boerie may wince, but there is a market, and a need to enjoy the comfort foods of our youth.……while at the same time tapping into free access to the innerwebs.

Meatropoleos 3 in Athens does just this with souvlaki, offering a choice of meats, in a hip, pared down setting with really good looking staff. I asked our hotel for tips to old school souvlaki stands and the young reception staff looked quizzical  “Meatropoleos is the best” they asserted. As in, why would I want to go gritty when I could show a shred of class and frequent the best local spot for fast grilled meat?

souvlaki at Meatropoleos

I think sometimes tourists need to preserve a sense of our guidebook understanding and expectations of a place.

While I think restaurants like Meatropoleos go a long way in preserving food culture by keeping up with current market needs, there’s a lot to be said about a 3 am souvlaki, hot off the grill, eaten on the street corner under a lampost with smudged lipstick and your hair smelling of cigarette smoke from the bar.

You will note that the big American fast food franchises are not supported in Greece. “Why would we, when we eat so good?” said a cab driver when  I chatted to him about Greek food.

a food ‘trend’ to watch

Welcome The Souvlaki Hot Dog

Months ago, I wrote a piece on winter food trends and the hot dog topped the burger as the snack to watch.

Formerly the enclave of roadside diners and late night post-party food, hamburgers have become the meal of the moment. Hot dogs have seen a recent resurgence and are set to give the hamburger a healthy tap on the bun. The difference between these hot dogs and the lurid pink vienna hot dogs of our youth, is the quality of sausage used and home-crafted sauces. Chef Bertus Basson of  award winning fine dining restaurant Overture, has brought his kitsch but retro yellow hot dog van Die Wors Rol, complete with sexy mascot Betsie into town and put hot dogs on the map again.  

And so, the natural conclusion was the souvlaki hot dog – instead of pita, we have the soft bun, topped with lots of hummus and Medi Deli’s tri colour dip – a layered spread of cream cheese, basil pesto, sun dried tomatoes- all things Mediterranean and sunshiny. Perfect picnic food.

Ingredients

Serves 2

250 g rump or sirloin, 1 – 1.5 cm thick

1/2 t dried thyme

3 T mint leaves, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped finely

salt, to taste

4 short wooden skewers

4 soft hotdog buns

Mediterranean Delicacies Hummus

Mediterranean Delicacies Tri Colour Dip

Method

1. Cut steak into 2cm cubes. In a bowl coat cubes with thyme, mint, garlic and olive oil. Leave to marinade for an hour, covered, in a cool spot.

2. Thread cubes onto skewers. Heat non-stick pan on high.  Fry, turning on each side, for a few minutes, depending on how you prefer your meat done. Sprinkle with salt after cooking.

3. Slice hotdog buns lengthwise in half, spread hummus and top with souvlaki. Spread tri-colour dip (cream cheese, basil pesto, sun-dried tomato and pine nuts) on top half of bun.

Do remember to remove the skewer sticks and enjoy with ouzo and lots of ice.

Sights around Athens

Parthenon, Acropolis

Theatre of Dionysus at Acropolis

Theatre of Dionysus with view across Athens

man selling snails at market, Athens

Article by Ishay Govender, aka the Food & The Fabulous - http://www.foodandthefabulous.com/mains/souvlaki-hot-dog-greek-street-food-with-a-twist/