Beef Borek , A Fusion Recipe

When we first moved to Prague the only "ethnic" grocery stores to be found were run by Vietnamese. I say ethnic in quotes because technically they could be called that but where not quite what you picture when you think of ethnic shops else where. Having freshly arrived from living in Paris where any and every type of ethnic foods could be found this took some getting use to. Sure the Vietnamese markets had some ramen, basic asian condiments and the best fresh fruit and vegetable selections but it didn't quite make up for not finding some of the world ethnic foods and ingredients we love and missed. Fast forward to 2011 and things have really changed here. Now small ethnic markets selling Japanese, many asian products, basic Tex-Mex ingredients, authentic Italian, authentic Greek, and a variety of middle eastern products have begun popping up all over the city. Czechs seem to have embraced the idea of tasting and/or cooking world foods. Don't get me wrong Czech food is hearty and very tasty, but I do love variety in my choices of both restaurants and ingredients to cook with.

Last week my husband and I went to check out a new middle eastern market that opened up in our neighborhood. We both absolutely love middle eastern cuisine, definitely one of our favorites. As we wondered through the small isles we were delighted with the selection of products from north Africa, the middle east, and even India. Along with the mandatory Lokum for my husband we picked up some grains, deli delicacies, pickled veggies and a humongous pack of Yukfa, which is a thicker version of Turkish Philo dough. You will surely see the ingredients pop up in recipes in the coming weeks or months. But today I will be sharing what I cooked with some of the Yufka/Philo dough. The first attempt I made Rolled Beef Borek. Okay so these aren't quite Turkish Borek nor Balkan type Borek, but rather a fusion of both with my own take. But they did taste fantastic, so much so that my husband asked me to please remember how I made them so we could have them again soon. I've never made Borek before and I didn't have time to look up instructions prior to cooking so I just winged it. The second attempt I made the same filling and instead of rolling the dough I made a meat pie. Assemble it just as you would a regular pie by layering a yufka or two on the bottom and as well as the top. Hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

Rolled Beef Borek or Yufka Beef Pie

3 large yukfa or philo sheets
500 g or 1 lb. ground beef (or a mix of ground beef and pork)*
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 small red pimentos or 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 pack (450 g or 15 oz) frozen garlic creamed spinach (I made my own w/milk) , drained
Turkish beyaz peynir cheese or feta cheese
olive oil or vegetable oil

melted butter, for brushing the Yufka
1-2 large eggs lightly beaten, for egg wash

* Please note that Turkish Muslims do not eat pork. So if you aim to make this more Turkish based used ground beef only. *

1. Defrost and warm up the garlic creamed spinach. Make sure most of the liquid evaporates or you will have to drain it all of the excess liquid. Set aside. (You could also use fresh spinach instead of frozen.) Heat just enough oil to coat the pan, once warm Add the ground/minced beef and cook all the way through. Drain off all extra fat. Remove meat from the pan and set aside.

2. Add a little bit of oil to the pan and once warm saute the onions until translucent. Add the finely chopped pimento/ pepper and saute for 3 minutes. Next add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add the beef back to the pan then sprinkle all of the seasonings into the pan, stir to distribute the spices well. Turn heat to low flame and allow to cook another 5 minutes. Turn heat off and set aside to cool slightly.

3. Preheat oven to 220 c and prepare a baking sheet. Have the melted butter and pastry brush ready. Once the beef has cooled down a bit, brush 1 extra large philo/ yukfa sheet with melted butter. Lay a thin layer of beef mixture in a straight line, top with the creamed spinach and feta. Tuck in the phyllo/yukfa and begin rolling up into a long tubular shape. Curl it into a coil/swirl shape and brush outer yufka with egg wash.

Bake in center of the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the dough is browned and crispy. Serve with a light side salad.

After dinner I decided to readup on Borek and all the varieties. Through Google images I came across Citra's blog with a great recipe for Turkish Borek with leeks. It looks so good and that will be the next Borek I make. Here's the link if you are interested.
http://c1tr4sinau.blogspot.com/2011/02/prasa-boreg-turkish-leek-pastry.html

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Roasted Veggie Hummus Delight (Wraps)

The dish I have to share with you today is a continuation of the Hummus recipe. You will notice that the photos are in the same setting, and obviously they were served on the same day. This meal is completely meatless and if it were not for the feta (made from goat's milk) we could call it a vegan meal. Is there vegan Feta cheese? My husband the carnivore loved this meal, he said it was one of the best ones ever. Pretty nice compliment I think.

The funny thing is that it was one of those meals where I went into the kitchen in the morning wondering what the heck to make for dinner, but most importantly what was left to eat. (Not that I ever plan ahead anyway.) We urgently needed to make a proper grocery store trip so there was not much in our empty fridge. I'll tell you a little secret, I love those days. It makes me be creative and more often than not we get to enjoy a fantastic meal. Just don't tell my husband I said this. We do our main or large grocery shopping together, it's actually more enjoyable and we both get an input as what will be on the menu. I also need him to tell me what meat cuts are what, I'm so clueless. Do you guys like grocery shopping with your significant other?

Besides being a good meal because it is meatless it is inexpensive, healthy, nutritious and oh so easy to prepare. It's a total brainless meal, see win win all the way. During the day I boiled the garbanzos for the hummus and roasted the vegetables all while I went back to my desk to write and edit photos. Of course you could also just buy ready made hummus or canned garbanzos instead. By the time dinner was ready to be served all I needed to do was warm the pitas and plate it all. I just served all of the veggies on a large plate, hummus and bread on the side. Easily laid out for each of us to assemble our own wraps. It may look like a small or un-filling meal, but we actually had leftovers and were stuffed like little piggies. I hope you guys try this out either for an easy dinner or even as party food.

Ingredients:
Serves 2
2 large red bell peppers, roasted
2 large yellow bell pepper, roasted
1 large eggplant, roasted
4 whole spring onions, or more
Hummus (my homemade recipe is here)
mild pickled Bulgarian chiles, they are long
fresh Feta cheese
olives of choice
pack of wheat pitas or any arabic style bread

olive oil
salt
ground black pepper

The peppers and eggplant need to be roasted first, and if you are also making your own hummus have it ready.

Roasted Peppers:
Instructions on how to roast the peppers can be found here, How to Roast Bell Peppers .
Roasted Eggplant:
Remove the stem, slice length wise. Brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle salt and ground black pepper. Roast at the same time as the bell peppers, How to Roast Bell Peppers .
Roasted Onions:
Cut off roots and rinse well. Roast with the bell peppers and eggplant. These will be cooked through sooner, remove from oven and set aside.

Assembling the wraps:
Spread a layer of hummus on top of a warm pita (or any arabic bread), then layer the other ingredients on top as desired.

Serve with a glass of red wine.

I just wanted to share this photo with you in celebration of the arrival of Spring.

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A Giveaway and My Hummus without Tahini Recipe

Today's $75 giveaway is sponsored by CSN stores. Many of you have now heard of CSN stores with their 200+ sites offering everything from cookware, to home decor. I would love to replace our old tv stand with one of their beautiful LCD TV stands. Thank you CSN Stores for sponsoring another giveaway.

Giveaway Rules:
- Open to US residents only (sorry to my international readers)
- Tell me if you like Hummus, and is there a special or interesting ingredient you add that is not found in a standard Hummus recipes? Then Pick a number between 1 and 300, leave a comment with your answer and chosen number.
* Please try to do a quick scan to make sure no one else has chosen that number. Also please don't leave links to recipes on other websites, those entries will be deleted.*

**OOPS forgot to say that the winner will be announced on Monday, March 21.**

Before we get to the recipe I wanted to thank you. Thank you for all the sweet messages of support you left in my announcement post about becoming a contributor for Honest Cooking. You guys are the best and your support and encouragement means so much. I'm sharing my Hummus without Tahini recipe here for those of you that missed it at Honest Cooking. Another thing I want to mention is the previous post, ways you can help the people of Japan during this horrendous catastrophe. Those of you that have helped both in monetary donations and words of solidarity, Muchas Gracias!

Recipe:
Hummus is a middle eastern spread or dip made mostly from white chickpeas (also know as garbanzo beans). Hummus has enjoyed great popularity in not only middle easter cuisine but also in Greek cuisine. In recent history it has gained popularity all over the world. Chickpeas have been used in the middle east since ancient times. Some believe that the earliest hummus recipes date back to the 13th century.

Recipes for hummus can vary greatly from country to country and home to home. This makes hummus one of those dishes that can easily be personalized according to taste. The most common ingredients are boiled chickpeas, tahini (sesame seed paste), olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, spices and herbs. All or any combination of ingredients is then ground to make a thick dip or spread and served cold. Hummus can be served as an appetizer with pita or any arab breads, as part of a Meze, it can be spread on sandwiches, or even served with fresh vegetables as a healthy snack. Hummus makes a healthy snack because the chickpeas are high in fiber, folic acid, a good source of iron, magnesium, copper and zinc. The lemon provides a good source of vitamin C and the olive oil is a source of healthy fat.

Tahini is an ingredient that can sometimes be hard to find. My recipe omits the tahini but still yields a delicious flavor with a lemony flavor.

Ingredients:
Serves 3-4

14 oz. or 400 g cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/4 cup or 60 ml reserved broth from boiling chickpeas or from can
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, (E.V.O. oil)
1 medium lemon (I used Meyer lemon) juiced about 3 tbsp juice
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. salt
pinch black pepper

to decorate:
olive oil
extra cooked chickpeas
paprika
parsley, dried or fresh

Tools:
immersion blender or regular blender
small bowl
serving bowl

1. In a small bowl combine lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Place drained chickpeas/garbanzo beans in blender, remember to reserve the broth. Pour 1/4 cup of the reserved broth and the lemon mixture into the blender. Pulse until you have a smooth thick paste. If needed, add extra broth or water to the blender to achieve the consistency needed. Taste and adjust spices if necessary. Pour the hummus into serving dish.

To decorate as in photo: Make a small well near the edge going in a circular motion. Pour some olive oil in the well, place some cooked chickpeas into the well and a few in the center of the dish. Sprinkle with paprika and fresh or dried parsley. Serve with pita and enjoy.

Too be continued.... And Good Luck!!

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HONEST COOKING, The FOOD MAGAZINE, We're Live!

Hi everyone! Today I have some very exciting news to share with you, HONEST COOKING, The FOOD MAGAZINE, has just launched. I've been patiently awaiting the launch so I could tell you about it and to let you know that I will be a regular contributor. This is one of those projects with so much passion and drive behind it, and when I was approached to be a contributor I knew immediately that I would love to be a part of it. Along with Kalle, the editior, there are a total of 50 contributors from all over the world. Here is a little bit about this amazing project :

"Honest Cooking is an international online culinary magazin with the ambition to truly change the face of online food media. We feature over 50 of the world’s most interesting food & beverage writers, bloggers, photographers and Chefs, in a magazine that aims to become the leading and most inspiring place for serious culinary debate, salivating recipes, interesting food news and international food-fun. We want to be smaller, quicker, funnier, smarter and more interesting than all of the current established food websites. "

I'd like to extend a warm invitation to all of you to stop by and see my first article (recipe) for Honest Cooking, Hummus Without Tahini. Leave me a comment letting me know how you like the recipe and what you think about Honest Cooking. There is so much to see, read and drool over.

I leave you with Kalle's words "Honest Cooking is all about food and beverages. About living the good life. About the joy of cooking, eating, drinking and experiencing. " I know many of you share this joy and we'd love for you to please stop by, http://honestcooking.com/

Follow Honest Cooking on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS Feed

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Feeling SAD and Preserved Meyer Lemons (With A Twist)

I suffer from SAD and that makes me sad (you saw that silly joke coming didn't you?). SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder better know to some as the Winter blues. It is a temporary or seasonal mood change which has some of the same symptoms as mild depression and it is most common in the northern hemisphere. Basically me no likey the dark grey Autumn and Winter days. Ha! go figure we choose to live in the northern hemisphere. While I consider myself a happy person with no worse mood changes than any other typical woman (except when my Latin temper kicks in, that's another story) it is these dark grey sunshine-less days that make me want to sleep more, and make it harder for me to concentrate or get motivated to do much. Even so I am not one to stay in bed or lay around even if I'm ill, I can't stand not doing something.

I'll have you know my diagnosis came from very reputable and prestigious Doctors, Dr. Google, Dr. Wikipedia, and WebMD. Don't you just love the internet ? (And I say this with the most sincere form of...Sarcasm!) You can look up anything and instantly get diagnosed with the most life threatening diseases out there. For instance you could look up... let's say a paper cut and come back with a rare diseases called papercuteosis. Oh no! you may just have to take the day off work because it can be contagious, as a matter-of-fact while you are calling your boss to tell him/her you can't make it into work today you are being quarantined. Perhaps my husband is right when he says I should stop looking up everything on the internet. Wait, did I just say he was right? I hope he doesn't read this or I wont live it down.

Seriously, SAD is a real disorder and I need some Santeria or Voodoo to bring on the sunshine and make me feel better on these grey days. But I don't know either so I'll have to create my own sunshine. I'm going to start with lemons, because they just brighten things up on their own. I love lemons with their lip puckering and slightly sweet fresh taste, always leaves me satisfied. I don't think it's a coincidence that many citrus ripens in the Winter months. I think mother nature knows that we all need their vibrant colors and delicious tastes to get us through the Winter. Just looking and smelling lemons or any other citrus immediately leaves me reminiscing about sunny days, it is like holding a little sunshine in my palm. I want to preserve them to get me through the remainder of the Winter. Many of you are already talking about Spring arriving, but for us it's quite a ways off and there are many rainy days coming too, blah!

I adapted this Preserved Meyer recipe from Epicurious.com. I made some changes to the original recipe, cut it in half, I used a combination of sweet (Meyer) lemons with Spanish Mesero (primofiori) lemons, you could really use any variety you choose. The other change was that I also sliced off both ends from all the lemons. Plus I added a little twist which you can see below. This recipe is great because it only takes 5 days before you can enjoy the lemons, and they will keep up to 1 year in the refrigerator. I'm going to be patiently waiting.

Preserved Meyer Mixed Lemons
Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Preserved-Meyer-Lemons-102747

11/4 lb or 560 g lemons, I used 6 very small lemons (Meyer or any variety of your choice)
1/2 cup or 118 ml fresh lemon juice (from 21/2 lemons)
1/3 cup or 90 g coarse sea salt

large bowl
sterilized jar (I used 2 small jars)
boiling water

1/8 cup olive oil, to use on the 5th day

1. Choose lemons that are semi-firm but not unripe, don't have bruising or other imperfections. You could also buy organic lemons or if you buy regular make sure they don't feel sticky and that they are cleaned properly. Thoroughly and properly rinse the lemons. I suggest starting by measuring out the lemon juice needed, then set aside. Bring some water to a boil, once boiled place the remaining lemons in the boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes, drain and allow to cool.

2. Have the sterilized jar ready. Once the lemons have cooled enough to handle, cut off both ends on each lemon. Next slice each lemon into 8 wedges, remove the seeds and place the wedges in the bowl. Pour the salt over the lemons and mix well. Pack the salt coated wedges into the jars then pour the lemon juice into the jar.

Seal and either leave on the counter or place in the refrigerator. During the next 5 days shake the jar to help distribute the salted juice. On the 5th day add 1/8 cup of olive oil and refrigerate. They will keep in the refrigerator up to 1 year.

I also made a variation with a little twist, I added fresh tangerine (mandarin orange) peel. Follow the recipe exactly as above but add as much fresh tangerine peel as you like. I can't wait to taste the different flavors!

I will keep you posted in the coming week on the results. What is your sunshine or feel good comfort food that always puts a smile on your face ?

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Chicken Tagine with Dried Figs and Honey

Do you ever cook a dish that as soon as you put that first taste in your mouth leaves you in a state of elation? You even do a little dance or wiggle (when no one is looking) of shear happiness, and pride. (Yep I do a happy wiggle!) You say to your self "Oh my god this is so good, why didn't I think of this before". You hold your head up high and think about all of the compliments you'll receive on this almost orgasmic dish, how they are all going to rave to everyone they meet about your amazing culinary talent, how everyone is going to ask what's your secret? And how they'll beg you to please give them the recipe. Oh yeah folks, that's a great floating in the clouds kinda feeling... Then you look down on the counter, and SMACK! There it is, the piece of paper you printed out with the recipe. Do you hear that? That's the loud sound of your bubble bursting and bringing you back to reality. Oh dam you reality! OK, so now that you are back in the real world you remember that you were not the mastermind behind this delectable dish. You were just lucky enough to have found the recipe on a great site. Man, why couldn't I have been the one to have masterminded this recipe? Perhaps we can blame the wine we drank for allowing such illusions of grandeur. And maybe next time you'll only have a very small glass of wine (on an empty stomach) instead of gulping down a normal sized glass. Neah! There's that reality bubble again.

Today's exotic recipe, Chicken Tagine with Dried Figs and Honey, is a delectable feast that you can prepare in a relatively low amount of time and it won't brake the bank. Since reality hit me hard this will be another installment of my "Recipe Review", and I think you all know what I think of this recipe. I found this recipe last Autumn, as we were looking for ways to use up or enormous bag of dried figs before they became too hard. This site belongs to Valley Fig Growers (I am not being paid for this), they have so many fantastic recipes and information about many of their products. Well as soon as I read their recipe for Chicken Tagine with Dried Figs and Honey I knew immediately that it was the perfect recipe. Before the dish was done my husband came into the kitchen asking what the smell was. We both really fell in love with this recipe, it is a little sweet, spicy, hearty, healthy, exotic and oh so delicious. I prepared it so many times, I lost count, until I couldn't buy anymore dried figs at my local markets. We both have been anxiously awaiting for Autumn and fig season to arrive because that means dried figs will also be available. Yay! Insert happy dance here. I've bought the first bag and quickly prepared their recipe. I don't own the recipe so I will just provide you with a link to it and you can go to Valley Fig Growers and read the 5 star worthy recipe. I follow the recipe as is but the only change I made is that sometimes I like to serve it with spiced Millet instead of Couscous and it still taste amazing.

And now for a few interesting fact about figs as found on Wikipedia: "The Common Fig is widely grown for its edible fruit throughout its natural range in the Mediterranean region, Iran, Pakistan and northern India, and also in other areas of the world with a similar climate, including Louisiana, California, Georgia, Oregon, Texas, South Carolina, and Washington in the United States, south-western British Columbia in Canada, Nuevo León and Coahuila in northeastern Mexico, as well as Australia, Chile, and South Africa. Figs can also be found in continental climate with hot summer, as far north as Hungary, and can be picked twice or thrice per year.
-It has been an important food crop for thousands of years, and was also thought to be highly beneficial in the diet.
The edible fig is one of the first plants that was cultivated by humans. Nine subfossil figs of a parthenocarpic type dating to about 9400–9200 BC were found in the early Neolithic village Gilgal I (in the Jordan Valley, 13 km north of Jericho). The find predates the domestication of wheat, barley, and legumes, and may thus be the first known instance of agriculture. It is proposed that they may have been planted and cultivated intentionally, one thousand years before the next crops were domesticated (wheat and rye).
-Figs can be eaten fresh or dried, and used in jam-making. Most commercial production is in dried or otherwise processed forms, since the ripe fruit does not transport well, and once picked does not keep well.
- Fig are richest in fiber, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and vitamin K, relative to human needs.Figs have a laxative effect and contain many antioxidants. They are good source of flavonoids and polyphenols."

A very healthy,nutritious,fruit with a very interesting history. So what are you waiting for eat some figs. You may want to start with this recipe, Chicken Tagine with Dried Figs and Honey .

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