Spicy Feta Spread

November 08, 2019 by Gizem in Snacks, Meze

I don’t know about you but I love savory snacks. If I am looking for something to munch on during the day, there is a very good chance that it will be olives, cheese or bread, or all of the above. This spicy feta spread is a snack that I can whip up fast to satisfy the savory cravings. I mostly have this as an afternoon snack with some black tea (they go so well together), but I also made it for breakfast and served it as a meze at dinner parties in the past.

As the name suggests, this feta spread is quite spicy. I definitely recommend sticking to the recipe (or making it even spicier, I mean, why not) but if spicy food is not your thing, you can always reduce the heat that the recipe asks for. I didn’t use to like spicy food until I met my husband, Cesar. His love of spicy food rubbed off on me over years of food adventures. Now we have a collection of hot sauces in the fridge, yet another collection of peppers in the spice drawer and we became the couple that travels with a carry-on size Sriracha.

But, back to the spices in this recipe. Turkish Marash pepper or Aleppo pepper is a bit sweeter than the standard red pepper flakes you find at the supermarket. Marash and Aleppo peppers have moderate heat and a sweeter taste, almost like sundried tomatoes with a nice kick. Most spice shops carry Aleppo pepper. Marash pepper is a lesser known name, at least in the United States. If you can’t find either, feel free to use crushed red pepper flakes but keep in mind that your feta spread mind end up a bit spicier.

Yields: 8 servings Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

150 grams feta cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)

3 tablespoons walnuts, chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, preferably Marash pepper or Aleppo pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Preparation

1. I always buy blocks of feta cheese if I can find them. If you are starting this recipe with a block of cheese, place it inside a bowl and crumble it using the help of a fork.

2. Chop the walnuts with the help of a knife or if you are lazy like me, use the chopper attachment of a hand blender. The walnut pieces should be relatively small.

3. Combine crumbled feta, walnuts, tomato paste, olive oil and spices until everything is incorporated.

4. Spread on slices of toasted bread and serve.

Romano Beans Braised in Olive Oil

November 08, 2019 by Gizem in Dinner, Meze

With leaves already turning yellow and red in Seattle, berries, beans and peppers are leaving their spots to pumpkins and apples. Romano beans braised in olive oil, served cold, is the dish that encapsulates summer for me. I wanted to share this recipe to thank this summer for all the great adventures and officially say goodbye to it with a big hug.

I wrote about the Turkish tradition of cooking vegetables in olive oil in a previous post about cooking fava beans. These “olive oil dishes” are almost always served cold to help fight the summer heat and add a refreshing, light meal to the table. Without a doubt, this romano bean dish is a classic summer meal that visits the tables of every Turkish household. Dishes like this one is a great example of home cooking that you can’t easily find at any restaurant.

Romano beans are also known as Italian green beans and are much wider and flatter than your common green beans. In the United States I can only find them at the farmers markets during summer. I highly recommend using romano beans for this recipe but if you can’t find them most other fresh green beans will work as well.

In the next few weeks, as I get myself ready to welcome fall, expect to see more and more soups and stews on the blog. I will also ramp up posting desserts as the holidays approach. Dear fall, long time no see, bring on the blankets, cozy sweaters, rain boots and lots of festive meals.

Yields: 4 servings Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 pound romano beans

2 tomatoes

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup water

Pinch of pepper

Preparation

1. Cut the ends of the romano beans and give them a good rinse.

2. Put the olive oil in a pot.

3. Dice the onion and add into the pot. Turn the heat to high and cook the onions, stirring a couple of times, for 2-3 minutes until they are translucent.

4. Dice the tomatoes and add them into the pot. Give everything a stir. If you have the time I recommend peeling the tomatoes first.

5. Add in the romano beans. Some people prefer to cut them in half both leghtwise and widthwise. I prefer to keep them whole as this preserves their shape better.

6. Add in the teaspoon of salt and sugar and a cup of water and give everything a stir.

7. Turn the heat to low and let cook for about 45 minutes with the lid closed.

8. When cooked, the beans should be soft but they should preserve their shape. Transfer them to a serving container. Let it cool to room temperature and then place in the fridge. Serve the beans room temperature or ideally, cold with some slices of bread to dip into the juices.

Turkish Sesame Bagel (Simit)

November 08, 2019 by Gizem in Breakfast

If you ask me which food I miss the most from Turkey, simit would most likely be my answer. Even after years of living in NYC and being spoiled by the best bagels, nothing replaces simit’s place in my heart (or should I say stomach). If I close my eyes and think of simit, I can literally remember the smell of the smoky molasses and toasted sesame seeds.

The best way I can explain how common simit is to liken it to the carts selling pretzels in New York City. Simit carts are spread amongst the busiest streets of Turkish cities, offering a cheap, on-the-go breakfast option. Way back when Turkish Lira was not suffering from crazy economic turmoils, I could get an amazingly fresh simit for 50 cents. Add some cream cheese on the side for 1TL more. But unlike the stale and overly salted pretzels on the street, simit is always fresh, tasty and has the most amazing crunchy texture.

Another way to buy simit is to call a simit guy passing through your street chanting “siiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiit” by opening the window and shouting them how many you want. These guys can balance hundreds of simit on their head and walk the streets like it is no big deal. This was pretty common on the weekends when my parents were wondering whether to wait for the simit guy or make a visit to the neighborhood bakery.

After years of missing simit, I finally taught myself how to make it. It is quite easy as long as you have the right ingredients. Do not skimp on the sesame seeds and do not skip the molasses. Also I highly recommend using a bread or pizza stone to make sure your simit is evenly baked. When making bread I use weight measurements rather than volume measurements. It is just so much more accurate that way. If you don’t have one yet, a kitchen scale is a cheap and handy purchase that I highly recommend.

Yields: 6 simits Time: 2 hours

Ingredients

For the dough:

500 grams unbleached white flour (approx. 4 cups)

300 grams lukewarm water

5 grams salt (approx. 1 teaspoon)

5 grams instant yeast (approx. 1 teaspoon)

For the topping:

1/4 cup molasses (preferably grape molasses)

2 tablespoons water

1 cup sesame seeds

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 480 degrees F with the bread stone placed in the middle rack and a baking tray or oven safe dish in the bottom rack. We will use the baking tray in the bottom rack to hold water and generate steam during the bake.

2. Add the yeast to lukewarm water. Stir until the yeast particles dissolve. Let it sit for a couple of minutes for the yeast to activate.

3. Sift the flour on your kitchen counter and make a well in the middle of it. Slowly add small amounts of the water yeast mixture and stir it into the flour using a fork, in circular stirring motions (see pictures below). You can also mix everything in a bowl or a mixer if you prefer.

4. Incorporate the remainder of the flour by pushing the flour around the edges into the gooey center. At this point, start using your hands to mix the dough until all the wet and the dry ingredients are mixed. The dough is going to be sticky at first but as you continue kneading, it will come together.

5. Knead your dough by stretching and pushing the dough away from yourself with the bottom of your palm, then folding it over the middle. Give the dough a little turn and repeat. Continue kneading for about 6-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth. If you mixed your ingredients in a bowl, lightly flour your surface before kneading.

6. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a large bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes. The dough will rise and almost double in size.

7. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and stretch it with your hands to give it a log-like shape. Cut the dough into two equal pieces. Then, cut each of the 2 pieces into 3 equal pieces. You should have 6 pieces at this point. Now, cut each of the 6 pieces into two equal halves. At the end, you should have 12 equally sized pieces of dough (see pictures).

8. For a single simit we are going to use two pieces of dough. Use your hands to roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope. Wrap the two ropes of dough around each other to get a twist pattern. Join the ends of the twisted rope and press firmly to seal. Repeat this for each pair of dough until you have 6 simits.

9. Pour the molasses onto a plate, add in the water and stir until incorporated.

10. Pour the sesame seeds onto a second plate and spread them evenly across the plate.

11. Dip each simit into the molasses first and then to the sesame seeds. Make sure all sides of the simit is fully covered with both.

12. My bread stone is not large enough for 6 simits so I bake them in two batches. If you are going to bake in multiple batches, hold off from dipping all simits into molasses and sesame seeds. Instead dip them right before placing them in the oven. You can cover the dough and let them sit on a lightly floured surface until the other batch is done baking.

13. Remove the hot bread stone from the oven and place the simits on it. Place the bread stone back into the middle rack of the oven.

14. Pour some water into the baking tray in the bottom rack. This is going to ensure we have a crispy simit which is crucial. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

15. Enjoy with some black tea, olives and feta cheese. Store them in room temperature. Reheat them with a toaster or toaster oven before eating because they are so much better when warm.