The Hungry Turk

Groovy Beans

I guess it’s safe to say that food and music go hand in hand. I mean Smashing Pumpkins must have been quite hungry (and angry) when they thought of the name of their band, right? The list of foodie musicians is long with well known bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Cranberries, Meat Loaf, Cake and so on.

Having said that, naming a band after something as humble as a bean and then make millions of dollars not only requires appetite but also a good amount of guts: The Black Eyed Peas? Uh-huh!

Not many people actually know about black eyed peas (the food) or cook it in Northern USA, Canada or much of Europe. On the other hand I’m pretty sure that as I write these words some Joe Blow in Boonville, Ontario is dancing to the beats of “I Gotta Feeling” from The Black-Eyed Peas (the pop band) like someone who has just been tased.

The black eyed peas have hit stardom in my kitchen, that is for sure. They were my mom’s secret weapon (and still are). Fish? Black eyed peas. Meat? Black eyed peas. Chicken? Black eyed peas. Cheese fondue? Yes, black eyed peas.

Maybe the black eyed peas should not be credited for the success of this multi-award winning salad. Maybe it’s the fool-proof combination of fresh herbs, ripe tomatoes, olive oil and lemon juice. Maybe it’s the bright colours that, no matter what your personal beliefs about beans are, attract your eye and force you to help yourself to a few spoonfuls. I don’t know. Whatever it is, this black eye pea salad is a crowd pleaser each time and the beans' unusual looks provide a nice little change to the usual tabletop scenery.

A must try!

Black Eyed Peas Salad

Serves 8 as a side dish


2 19oz canned black eyed peas, well rinsed
4 ripe Roma tomatoes, diced (alternatively a pint of cherry tomatoes, diced)
3 scallions, finely chopped
½ bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
½ bunch fresh dill, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
About 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, adjust it according to your taste
Pinch of salt

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and give them a good stir. Set aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before you serve to give some time for the flavours to mix together and accentuate.

Note: I realise that “real” ripe tomatoes are hard to come by during the winter months. I made this salad over the summer and completely forgot to post it. I apologise for the seasonal inappropriateness of this recipe. You could use cherry tomatoes that are still sweet (hmm I wonder why... could it be because they're shipped all the way from Mexico... sorry).

And God Created Corn (And Quinoa)

I’m The Hungry Turk, and I am addicted to quinoa.

I can’t do without it. Its intriguing looks, its fluffy texture and its versatile flavour keeps me asking for more. Now, this post is supposed to be all about corn (and it is really) but I do have to put some emphasis on this mystery seed. I know that there are quite a few of you who are still skeptical about it but when cooked properly, this little Andean gem is delightful (and extremely nutritious), I promise.

So corn. Yes. When I was growing up in Turkey grilled corn sold by street vendors was a treat that my dad and I would go bananas for (we still do). My grandfather also used to boil them at home time to time and I would nibble on those rather coarse kernels with great pleasure. But corn has never been part of the culinary culture that surrounded me. Until recently, that is.

As I landed in North America three years ago, I realised that corn pulled a few more strings here than it did in Turkey. First of all, there is a lot of it! And when in season (now), corn is dirt cheap. So much so that these days I find myself eating corn everyday and trying to figure out what do make out of those stalks  that are still stacked on the kitchen counter. Also, corn in North America is sweet. Very sweet and tender. A few days ago I was telling my mom how I cooked my corn: “just drop them in boiling water, cover, turn off the heat and set aside for 10 minutes”. She couldn’t believe it. The corn I know from Turkey is, how shall I put it, rather stubborn and requires a long cooking time. I didn’t quite dare telling her that I had seen recipes that called for uncooked fresh corn.

So here is to quinoa and corn, my two new BFF.

Quinoa Salad with Corn and Loads of Other Things

I got the inspiration for this recipe from Gourmet Magazine’s encyclopedic cookbook. However, I had a slight grocery list mishap and forgot to get half of the ingredients that were required by the recipe. At the end, my salad turned out to be very different from the one in the book, except for the basic combination of quinoa, corn and cumin.

Serves 2 as a main dish


1 cup mixed coloured quinoa, rinsed thoroughly under cold water
2 ears corn, shucked
3 scallions, thinly chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 large pieces of canned roasted red peppers, rinced and diced
4 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
⅓ cup (hulled) sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ fennel seeds
¼ pound (about 125gr.) feta cheese, crumbled
Juice of 1½ limes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to season

Place quinoa in a large pot of salted boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes drain it in a sieve and rinse under cold running water. In the same pot, bring a few inches of water to a boil. Set the sieve with quinoa over the pot and covered it with a kitchen towel (or paper towel) and a lid. Steam quinoa until fluffy and dry (about 10 to 15 minutes). Transfer to into a bowl and let cool down.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add corn. Cover with a lid and turn off the heat. Set aside for 10 minutes. Transfer corn to a cutting board and cut off the kernels (your knife should be at a 45° angle).

While your corn is cooking, mix all the seeds (including the sunflower seeds) and roast  at 400° degrees for 10 minutes.

Assemble your salad by mixing together all the ingredients in a large bowl (including the corn kernels and quinoa), and seasoning with lime juice, olive oil and black pepper. Mix well and serve.

Quino... What?

Quinoa.

Huh?

Ki-noh-ah

Come again?

…

That was pretty much my reaction the first time I heard about quinoa about three years ago. Native to the Andean region in South America, quinoa started showing up on the shelves of healthy food stores only a few years ago. And it’s healthy, alright. This tiny winy seed is one of the rare plant-based sources of complete protein, it is gluten free and it is loaded with fibres, magnesium and phosphorus. Despite, its grainy looks, quinoa is indeed a seed and belongs to the same family as the good old spinach and beet. During the period of the colonisation of South America, the Spanish favoured the cultivation of maize and potatoes over quinoa (due mostly to the seed’s spiritual stature among the natives and its bitter taste coming from the saponin coating) and that’s why quinoa didn’t make its world premier sooner.

I discovered quinoa right at the time when I was starting to get tired of my inability to cook rice. Now, don’t get me wrong. I know how to boil rice. But for some reason I haven’t quite mastered the art of cooking rice the Turkish way. And to be honest I’d rather not eat rice if it comes down to eating boiled rice. But more on that in a later post.

Back to quinoa.

It’s pretty fuss free to cook quinoa. The only important part is to rinse it well before cooking it to get rid of that bitter-tasting saponin coating (I invite you to Wikipedia what saponin is because my understanding of bio-chemistry is not quite up to the challenge of explaining it here). Then all you need to do is to boil it for about 20 minutes, or until the little seeds start opening up. If you want to be more fancy, you can first boil it for 10 minutes, rinse it under cold water and then steam it for another 10 minutes. This two-part method makes quinoa very fluffy.

I personally like quinoa served along with a stew or in a salad. Also, I tend to purchase both red and white quinoa and mix them together at home for a colourful combination. Here is a bon appétit recipe I made using black quinoa, which, because of its coarser texture, added a nice crunch to this summer salad!

Quinoa, Chickpea and Spinach salad

Serves 6 to 8 as a main dish

 

1½ black quinoa, rinsed (feel free to use any other type of quinoa if you can’t find the black one)

4 cups baby spinach leaves

1 19 oz (540ml) can of chickpeas, rinsed (those cans are packed with a lot of salt that you really don’t need)

1¾ cups English cucumber (the long ones) or 2 small cucumbers, cut into small cubes

1 1-pint container of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup fresh mint leaves, torn

1½ cup feta cheese, crumbled

¼ cup sherry vinegar

3 teaspoons smoked paprika

½ olive oil

Place the quinoa in a large pot of salted boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes drain it in a sieve and rinse under cold running water. In the same pot, bring a few inches of water to a boil. Set the sieve with quinoa over the pot and covered it with a kitchen towel (or paper towel) and a lid. Steam quinoa until fluffy and dry (about 10 to 15 minutes). Transfer to into a bowl and let cool down.

In the mean time place the spinach, chickpeas, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, fresh mint and half of the feta cheese in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl combine the paprika, sherry vinegar and olive oil. Add the cooled down quinoa into the spinach mixture and pour the vinaigrette over. Mix until well combined (the salad should have a red hue). Place the remaining feta cheese on top and serve.

Memories of Summers Past

Sometimes I envy Captain Kirk. Just a few words, “Beam me up, Scotty”, and he’s back in his comfort zone, the USS Enterprise. I do not possess the technology available to Captain Kirk, as a matter of fact not even a plane ticket, but I do have my very own transporter: food!

Last week, I made a dish called batırık, which instantaneously beamed me to Anamur, where I spent most of my summers as a child.

Each morning, after breakfast I would head to the beach to meet my friends. We’d play in the water until either our lips turned purple and our fingertips wrinkled, or I saw my grandmother hanging off her balcony calling me in for lunch. After lunch, I would either help my grandmother with household chores (I loved doing laundry, don't ask why) or take a nap. Besides, you had to be out of your mind to be on the beach or anywhere outdoors between 1pm and 4pm (unless you were a tourist keen to work on that lobster tan).

Around 5pm my grandfather would make his way to the kitchen to prepare tea. No day went by without the 5 o’clock tea. My grandmother would usually fix something to eat, sometimes a cake, sometimes a cheese roll, and sometimes the famed batırık! I always knew that batırık was in the works when I heard my grandfather pounding the walnuts in the brass mortar. The whole front part of the apartment would resonate… bam bam bam!

After teatime I would go out again to play. My friends and I would usually hang out at a playground near the apartment building or cause trouble in its close vicinity. Some days I would head back to the beach with my grandmother around 7pm. By that time the waves would have calmed down and the beach would be pretty much deserted.  A few days a week we would go for a digestive walk after dinner and get the Kahramanmaraş style sticky ice cream. I loved it (and still do). Because of the salep (flour made out of the root of Early Purple Orchid) and mastic used in its preparation, this ice cream is much harder in texture and stickier than the conventional ice cream. The best way to eat it is to bite it. Of course, those with sensitive teeth should not try this at home!

My days in Anamur were pretty monotone… eat, play and sleep. But Anamur was also the place where I was let loose completely and where I was as happy as I could be. Thanks to this low-key coastal town, I had an extended childhood, using the word “play” without hesitation past the age of 12.

Batırık

Batırık is native of the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey where both my maternal grandparents come from. In Anamur, my grandmother’s hometown, the dish is made with sesame seeds and peanuts, while in Ermenek, where my grandfather is from, walnuts are used instead. My grandparents almost always made it with walnuts but I do have a vague memory of sesame and peanut taste in my head as well. Batırık is more a teatime dish and is especially popular at women’s gatherings. Some people squeeze the water out of it and serve it in bite-sized pieces, but I personally prefer it as almost a soup, served with a few ice cubes, blanched white cabbage and chopped cucumbers. It’s very refreshing and surprisingly filling because of the main ingredient, couscous. The key part in batırık’s preparation is to use a mortar and pestle. I’ve seen some recipes that instruct to use a robot to turn the walnuts (or the sesame seeds and peanuts) into a paste. But this method doesn't let the oil from the nuts to develop and mix into the dish. Also, a lot of people use pepper paste to add a bit of spice and extra colour. I have never seen my grandparents use it, as they were not very keen on heat in food, so I have not used it here. For the extra colour, just use loads of tomatoes.

Serves 6-8 as a teatime snack or 4-6 as a light meal

1 cup medium couscous (called düğürcük in Turkish)

6-8 ripe tomatoes, grated

1 medium onion, grated

1 ½ cup Italian parsley, finely chopped

1 ½ tablespoon mild paprika

1 tablespoon red pepper paste (optional)

2 cups walnuts, lightly roasted and turned into a paste with a mortar and pestle

1 medium white cabbage, roughly chopped and blanched

½ English cucumber, cut into ½ inch pieces

Lemon juice

Mix all the ingredients except the cabbage and cucumber in a large bowl. Combine well (use your hands  to lightly knead it) and set aside for at least 30 minutes. The couscous will absorb the juices from the grated vegetables, swell and soften. Add more paprika if so desired (don’t salt the batırık until it is served individually). Put 4 or 5 spoonfuls in individual serving bowls and add just enough cold water to obtain a very thick soup. Top up with a few ice cubes, and serve with the blanched cabbage, cucumbers and lemon juice as desired.

Easy Pea-sy

With mercury hovering above seasonal averages, all I want to eat are cool light meals. Of course eating a Caesar salad every day is not the healthiest option, though I seem to have developed an addiction for it lately.

A great alternative is to make legume salads. They are low maintenance, usually don’t take too long to prepare and can be served cold. They are also packed with all sorts of nutrients from proteins to fibres.

Here is a very easy chickpea salad recipe for your hot summer day dinner. Enjoy!!!

 

Chickpea salad with tomatoes and feta cheese

Serves 6

 

1 28oz (or two 19oz) canned chickpeas, drained and washed under running water

2 ripe Roma tomatoes, diced

1 shallot, cut in two and sliced lengthwise

1 cup feta cheese, roughly chopped

Handful of fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

Extra virgin olive oil (I use it very abundantly, about 5 tablespoons, adjust it according to your taste)

In a large bowl, mash about a quarter of the chickpeas. Add the lemon juice and olive oil. Add the tomatoes, shallots, mint, feta cheese and the remaining chickpeas. Combine well. Taste and adjust the olive oil and lemon according to your taste. Chill for at least 30 minutes to let the flavours to develop. Transfer to a clean bowl before serving.

Yum yum!!!

PS: I should mention that this is a Jamie Oliver recipe. I saw my mom make it and assumed it was hers. My bad.