Category Archives: Salsas

Jul29

A Guest Post: Acılı Ezme – Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad

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A Guest Post: Acılı Ezme – Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad
A Guest Post: Acılı Ezme – Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad

Hey there everybody!

So the first week of my new series Around the World, Week by Week is now over! I hope you enjoyed the last seven days, the little excursus in turkish cuisine and culture and the seven recipes!!

As I promised at the beginning  I will have something special at the end – and it is a guest post!! Zerrin is the lovely lady behind Give Recipe. She is a new mom, lives in Turkey and has the most delicious recipes on her blog!! I love browsing through them – it reminds me so much of my time in Izmir 🙂

I am so happy that she took some of her small amount of free time to write this post for my page!! Also she brings one of my absolute favorite turkish foods to you: Acılı Ezme!! I ate it literally all the time I could get it – even for breakfast with some cream cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes! I couldn’t find it in the stores in Germany but now I can make my own! 🙂 It really is fantastic!

So go on, scroll down and read all about turkish food and habits from a native! And don’t forget to click over to Zerrin’s blog! 🙂

~ Kathrin

 

Acılı Ezme – Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad

Hi everyone!

I am Zerrin of Give Recipe from Turkey. I’m so pleased to be here, writing at Kathrin’s lovely blog! I met her a very short time ago and love that we are both so passionate about food! I always love to meet such foodies! When I learnt that she lived in Izmir, Turkey for some time, I knew that we would have lots of things to talk about. It’s great to hear Turkish names of our dishes from her; not everyone knows cacik or pirinç pilavı unless they are as enthusiastic about food and culture as Kathrin!

Acılı Ezme – Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad

I’m going to share a very addictive salad from Turkish cuisine here today. Hope you all love it!

Ezme is known as a salad or appetizer in Turkey. It is mostly served with kebabs at kebab restaurants. Have you tried Turkish kebab yet? You’ve missed a lot if you haven’t! It is one of the foods you must taste at least once in your life! Once you try it, you will get addicted! Mezzes or side dishes served before kebab and you enjoy them before your kebab is brought. Be careful not to eat too much of these; otherwise you won’t have any room for kebab! Acılı Ezme is just one of those irresistible appetizers.

Acılı Ezme – Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad

Ezme means “mashed”, so this is a kind of mashed salad. Genuine kebab restaurants make it with a big cleaver or with a special double handled knife. It’s absolutely easier to chop vegetables with a blender, but there is a remarkable difference between the flavors of ezme made by cleaver or double handled knife and the one made by blender or any other electrical device. It MUST be chopped by hand, otherwise it gets too juicy.

Pomegranate molasses is almost a must in acili ezme since it gives a very nice sweet-sourish flavor and a darker color to the salad. If you can’t find it in your area, you can increase the amount of lemon juice a little. As for the spices, hot chili powder is the main one. Another spice I personally love in ezme salad is sumac, which increases its sourness. You can add dried mint too to add a little refreshment and to balance the sour and hot flavor of the salad.

The best bread to serve with ezme is Turkish lavash, which is similar to tortilla or Turkish pide. Kebabs are generally served with these two breads, so you can dip them into ezme as a bonus! And Ayran, which is a fabulous cold yogurt drink, is undoubtedly the best drink with these irresistible foods!

Acılı Ezme – Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad

Since it’s a refreshing salad, ezme is a perfect choice to accompany any dish in summer! You know what? I can even have it at breakfast! Its spiciness help me wake up and it whets my appetite to eat more.

 

Acılı Ezme - Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad
 
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Author:
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients
  • 2 tomatoes, peeled
  • 1 onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 chili peppers
  • ¼ bunch of parsley
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • 1 tsp pepper paste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp sumac
  • A pinch of dried mint
Instructions
  1. Chop peeled tomatoes, onion, garlic, chili peppers and parsley as finely as you can. The finer the better. Mix them in a bowl.
  2. Mix lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, olive oil and pepper paste until smooth. Add this mixture into salad.
  3. Add salt and spices, mix well.
  4. Chill it in refrigerator for half an hour and serve!

 

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

An Introduction to the new series

Appetizer – Sigara Böreği

Main Dish – Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı

Dessert – Künefe

Drink – Ayran 

Salad – Kısır

Pastry – Kurabiye

Snack/Fast Food – Lahmacun

Jul23

Around The World: Turkey – Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı

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Around The World: Turkey – Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı
Around The World: Turkey – Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı

Hey there!

Today I have a Main Dish from Turkey for you: Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı. It is a classic!

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı by gingerlemonandspice

But let’s talk a bit about the country first. Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı by gingerlemonandspice

The Republik of Turkey is a transcontinental country located in Europe but mostly in Asia. It is surrounded on three sides by water, the Mediteranean, Aegean and Black Sea. It is a rather big country with only 75 million people living in it, which makes some areas very rural. Turkey has a very rich history. There are a lot of sites from the time of Alexander the Great, the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire. I am not much of an expert in any kind of history but it is very impressive to visit the ancient ruins with or without a guided tour! I love doing that, even if I’m more interested in architecture and lifestyle than in the politics of those times!! 🙂

Around the World, Week by Week: Turkey by gingerlemonandspice

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey by gingerlemonandspice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well the Republik of Turkey as it is called today was only founded 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, how also was the first president. Until today he is adored by many and you can find his statues and picture everywhere, some men even have tattoes on their arms or cars of his name and signature! 🙂

Most of the people in this country are Turks, but there is also a minority group called the Kurds. Most of the people have Turkish as their mother tounge and their money is the Turkish Lira. The weather varies very strongly in the different parts of the country; it can get really cold like -40°C (-40°F) in winter in some areas but also really hot in summers (always above 30°C/86°F).

So that’s enough of the formal stuff for me by now, I have some more pictures for you to click through to get your own view!

If you got any questions about Turkey or my stay there, or made your own experiences just leave a comment below!! I would love to read about it!!

 

Now on to the food: Meat balls (in Turkish Köfte) can be found in many variations in the Turkish Cuisine. It might even be that every family does them a bit different! What I have here is a very classic recipe for Köfte that can be fryed in a pan or better grilled on a charcoal barbecue!

They are accompanied by the traditional yoghurt dip with cucumbers and garlic called Cacık. It goes with a lot of dishes and can also be found on a Meze (Appetizer) Table! Also I have some rice for you called Pirinç Pilavı. Like with the meatballs there are so many ways of preparing this!

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı by gingerlemonandspice

 

I found all the recipes for these in one of my favorite cookbooks, ‘Sofralar’ by Orhan Tançgil of the blog ‘KochDichTürkisch’. They also have a lot of videos to the recipes on the blog, so even if you can’t speek German you might find something you like! Hop over and say hi from me!

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı by gingerlemonandspice

Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A recipe for yummy turkish meat balls with rice and a yoghurt dip with cucumbers and garlic!
Author:
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Turkish
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
Köfte
  • 500g mixed minced meat (lamb and beef)
  • 1 onion
  • 2 slices of stale white bread
  • 1 egg
  • 1 handfull of parsley
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • pepper, pul biber spice (chili flakes)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • oil for frying
Pirinç Pilavı
  • 60g butter
  • a small handfull of soup noodles (şehriye)
  • 1 cup of rice, washed in a sieve
  • 2 cups of water or chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
Cacık
  • 250g süzme yoğurt (turkish yoghurt with 10% fat)
  • 5 tablespoons milk
  • 2 small turkish cucumbers or 1 usual
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 handfull of fresh dill
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • pepper, pul biber spice (chili flakes)
  • olive oil
Instructions
Köfte Mix
  1. Start bei preparing the mixture for the Köfte. Just put the meat, the finally chopped onion and parsley, the spices, the egg, the olive oil and the pressed garlic in a big bowl. Cut the bread in small chunks and add to the bowl too.
  2. Now mix very well! It works best if you use your hands. Form small balls and pat them down flat and set aside on a plate or chopping board. Use wet hands while forming the Köfte so that the mixture doesn't stick to your fingers!
Pirinç Pilavı
  1. Melt butter on a pot on the stove on high heat and add the noodles. Fry and stir well until they get a golden color. Then add the rice and fry for 2-3 minutes more.
  2. Pour water or stock in and add the spices. Stir once then cover with the lid and wait until the water boils.
  3. Turn the heat down to very low for about 15 minutes then turn it off and let the pot just sit where it is. The rice will soak up more of the moisture and will get done without sticking to the bottom with this method.
Frying the Köfte
  1. Meanwhile heat one or two big pans and add some frying oil. You don't need much as the meat releases some fat as well. About one tablespoon for each pan! Put the meatballs into the pan and fry them on medium heat until they are half through then turn around and do the other side. It is even better when you have a charcoal barbecue and grill them there! You can also bake them in the oven on 200°C for about 25 minutes if you want to retain some fat. But that's not the most typical way 😉
Cacık
  1. Mix yoghurt and milk in a bowl with an egg whisk until smooth. Chop the cucumbers as finely as you can or grate them. But on the secon method make sure to press some of the water out!
  2. Add the cucumber, the spices (minus the chili), the finely chopped dill and pressed garlic to the bowl and mix well. Taste and reseason as you like.
  3. Pour the Cacık in a nice bowl and decorate with olive oil, chili and some dill sprinkles!
Notes
The cumin spice is essential for the typical taste in the Turkish Cuisine! Don't miss it!

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı by gingerlemonandspice

Afiyet olsun!! – Enjoy your meal!

 

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

An Introduction to the new series

Appetizer – Sigara Böreği

Dessert – Künefe

Drink – Ayran

Salad – Kısır

Pastry – Kurabiye

Snack/Fast Food – Lahmacun

Guest Post – Acılı Ezme

 

~ Kathrin

Jul15

Guest Post: Pulled Pork, Magic Dust and Coleslaw by Tobias

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Guest Post: Pulled Pork, Magic Dust and Coleslaw by Tobias
Guest Post: Pulled Pork, Magic Dust and Coleslaw by Tobias

Hi guys!

Today I have something very special for you: The very first guest post on my blog!!

It is even more special because it is my brother Tobias who took the time to write this post and say hi to you!! He is a very passionate cook too, especially barbecuing is something he really likes and celebrates!

me and my brother

Please give him a warm welcome and don’t be shy with comments!! Who knows – he might come back and whip something up for us again 😉

Have fun bro! 🙂

 

Hi,

This time it’s my turn! I’m making a guest article for my Sister!

I absolutely love barbecuing so that’s why my recipe is about one of the most difficult category of BBQ: Pulled Pork. It’ is pork which is smoked for 12 hours between 90 – 120 °C, 100°C are perfect. In the end it’s incredibly delicate, so you can easily pull the meat fibres apart.

I made it yesterday with some friends and it was absolutely fantastic. But first things first:

We started with three 3 pork shoulders (Two with about 1,3 kg and one with 1,6 kg). They have to be marinated one day before start barbecuing for the best tasting experience. So I coated it really thin with medium-hot mustard and then rubbed it with my absolute favourite spice “Magic Dust”.

Actually it IS absolute magic! You should always keep a spice shaker next to your Barbecue: It’s fantastic with pork, whatever part of it. Unfortunately the recipe is top secret so I can’t tell you the ingredients, sooo…. aahh what the heck:

 

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Magic Dust

Magic Dust

Ingredients

  1. 6 Parts Paprika mild
  2. 2 Parts Paprika hot
  3. 2 Parts Garlic
  4. 1 Parts Mustard seeds light
  5. 1 Parts Mustard seeds dark
  6. 4 Parts Sugar brown
  7. 4 Parts Salt
  8. 2 Parts Pepper black
  9. 1 Parts Cumin
  10. 2 Small hot Chilies

Directions

  1. The Ingredients should be in the shape of powder and dry. I prefer using whole pepper and whole cumin and grind it myself for better taste and the whole taste of the essential oil. Just mix everything together!
http://gingerlemonandspice.com/2013/07/pulled-pork-magic-dust-and-coleslaw/

 

Back to topic: After rubbing it, the pork should be dry outside, so you should use a real lot of the magic dust. It can use it!

Now wrap it with foil and keep it in the fridge for at least 12 hours. The longer you keep it the better it is!

 

But what about the Hardware I use?

I got a Kettle Barbecue grill from Dancook the Dancook 1400. It has a fantastic technique which helps saving charcoal, for further informations just google it! There are some good tests about it!

For charcoal I used Profagus Brekkies. There are completely made out of beech from the last charcoal factory in Germany. They are one of the best on the market. High and long heat, easy to light and they don’t smoke!

For lighting I use the Weber rapidfire chimney starter. I put one egg carton and a paraffin cube underneath it and it glows in 10min.

Pulled Pork, Magic Dust and Coleslaw from gingerlemonandspice

Furthermore I have a Maverick ET-732 for BBQ-temperature and food-temperature control and a Smokinator grill attachment. With this Smokinator you can perfectly keep the BBQ Temperature at about 100 °C.

 

Beside the Meat we wanted Coleslaw, so I made one a day before, also like my favourite recipe.

Print
Toby's Coleslaw

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Toby's Coleslaw

Ingredients

  1. 1 white cabbage
  2. 2 onions
  3. 1 Cup Oil sunflower
  4. 1 Cup Spice vinegar
  5. 1 Cup Sugar
  6. Pepper, Salt, caraway,

Directions

  1. Slice cabbage and onions.
  2. Heat oil, vinegar, sugar and spices and pour it hot over the vegetables.
  3. Keep it for a few hours while mixing it every once in a while.
http://gingerlemonandspice.com/2013/07/pulled-pork-magic-dust-and-coleslaw/

On the next day I started at 4:30am with lighting up the charcoal. It was 5:00 am when the Pork got on to the Barbecue. Use about two hands of watered beech on the charcoal for a great smoky flavour. The meat only gather the smoke in the first few hours!

Pulled Pork, Magic Dust and Coleslaw from gingerlemonandspice

This Picture was made after 5 hours. On the left side you see the Smokinator with the charcoal inside. The bowl underneath the meat is for the juice.

The Meat Temperature should get up to 94°C. When you try to do so, you will notice a strange phenomenon. The temperature rises in the first 4 hours from 10 to 60 °C but at about 65 °C it keeps a REALLY long time to rise over 70 °C. In my case it took another 4 hours to get over 70 °C. This is called the Stall.

It is because of the enthalpy of evaporation. This keeps the temperature the same as long as you have free liquid water in the meat, but there is a small simple trick to get it faster: wrap the meat with aluminium foil. With this trick you minimize the volume of the relevant cooking chamber, so the air is saturated with steam much faster. When the air is saturated, the process of evaporation and condensation is fulfilled much faster and the temperature rises again.

When the meat is at 94 °C its still wrap in aluminium foil, but before you start eating, let it some time to relax. The best way to do so is to take a big cooling box and put some glass bottles filled with boiling water on the bottom of it, put the wrapped meat on it and another layer of bottles. Keep it for half an hour so the juice can spread.

Now the “work” is done! 🙂

Pulled Pork, Magic Dust and Coleslaw from gingerlemonandspice

Take two forks and start pulling! It should be so delicate that it crumbles.

Pulled Pork, Magic Dust and Coleslaw from gingerlemonandspice

Now take a burger bun, half it, toast it, put some pulled pork and some barbecue sauce (recipe below) on one side and some coleslaw on the other.

Pulled Pork, Magic Dust and Coleslaw from gingerlemonandspice

Put it together and enjoy 🙂

Pulled Pork, Magic Dust and Coleslaw from gingerlemonandspice

For one of the best barbecue sauce ever, take the meat juice from the bowl and reduce it, put some apple vinegar, sugar, a tube tomato paste to it and season it with magic dust. Et voila 🙂

Now you might think: “stand up at 4 o’clock and barbecue for 12 hours? Why???” The only thing I could say: try it only once and you’ll be on my side! All my friends thought the same until they have tasted.

I hope you all enjoyed my first blog article. I would love to hear some constructive criticism.

Best wishes

Tobias