Category Archives: Spreads and Dips

Mar11

Around The World: Ireland – Eggsalad Sandwich & Crisps

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Kathrin

Around The World: Ireland – Eggsalad Sandwich & Crisps

Welcome to the second day of the Around the World series featuring Ireland!

In Ireland most of the agriculture is based on livestock farming, especially dairy farming. Irish dairy products such as Kerrygold Butter or cheese are greatly advertised and known internationally! As the most parts of the rural areas are grasslands, especially keeping milkcows is a good business and the milk and products of those fresh herb and grass fed animals are known for their great taste.

Another product the Irish diet is based upon are potatoes, which came to the island in the second half of the 16th century. A story says, that the people in Ireland were poor and did not have much to eat during that time but they didn’t trust the new plant and wouldn’t eat from it or eat the leaves, which are poisonous. So what the governers did was plant fields of potatoes but protect them with many guards from thiefs. Now the residents thought the plant was incredible precious and stole the plants anyway and planted their own fields. This helped the potato to become a very important ingredient of the Irish diet in a short time! But unfortunately it lead also to the big famine of the years past 1845 because of crop failures of the potato and many people died.

I guess because in history the people of Ireland where poor people which always had to be creative to get enough to eat on the table, the most popular dishes often are rich breads, hearty stews and soups and seafood meals. This means that there is no particular culture of serving appetizers, salads and extravagant desserts! But the food scenery in Ireland got very internationally inspired during the last years. Especially the italian cuisine is very popular!

But one thing you can find in almost any cuisine and this is some kind of snack or fast food, because sometimes there is just the need for a quick and easy meal.

The most popular Irish snack or fast food are sandwiches. You can get them everywhere – in supermarkets, at airports, bus and train stations or in pubs. It is one of the most traditional things served in pubs! And in pubs is where I recommend you to try them when you are visiting the island! There is nothing compared to a fresh sandwich, prepared in front of your eyes with whatever filling you wish and served with a generous handful of crisps at the side!

I used to only know the sandwiches that are kept in plastic package and can be bought at supermarkets for example and they are usually really dry and boring. So it took me some time until an Irish friend took me to a pub and invited me to a sandwich, and now I don’t want to miss it on any of my trips! Also if you look for it you will find several Deli stands, even in supermarkets, that also prepare the sandwiches right there when you order them. It’s such a huge difference!!

The recipe I have for you today is the one for a sandwich with my favorite filling: Egg Salad. Even better, if it’s accompanied by some salad leaves, cheese and fresh slices of tomato! Yummmm!!

Just give it a try, you won’t regret it!

Eggsalad Sandwich & Crisps

Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

This is a delicious sandwich that's perfect for an everyday snack or light lunch! It's quick to prepare and the crisps on the side add a nice crunch to this dish!

Author: Kathrin @ ginger, lemon & spice

Recipe type: Snack, Sandwich

Cuisine: Irish

Serves: 2

Ingredients

for the eggsalad:

4 hard boiled eggs
1 Tbsp. of Yoghurt
1 Tbsp. of Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. fresh finely chopped parsley
juice of ½ a lime
salt, pepper

other ingredients:

4 big slices of sandwich bread
a handful of young salad leaves
3 Tbsp. grated cheddar (preferably Irish)
1 tomato in thin slices
2 big handfuls of crisps (preferably Irish salt or salt & vinegar crisps)

Instructions

First prepare the egg salad by peeling and chopping the eggs in chunks that are not too small. Add yoghurt, mayonnaise, parsley, limejuice, pepper and salt to the mix and stir. Taste if the mix needs more of anything! Eggs can use quite a bit of salt, so keep that in mind.
Lay two slices of the bread in front of you and spread the eggsalad on them. Add the cheese, salad and tomato slices on top and cover with another slice of bread. Cut diagonally into 4 pieces and arrange them on nice plates.
Put the crisps next or around the sandwiches and dig in!!

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

Breakfast – Irish Scones with Raisins

Drink – Jameson Whiskey with Ginger Ale

Soup – Seafood Chowder

Main Dish – Irish Stew with Guinness

Dessert – Fruit Crumble

Pastry – Barmbrack Sweet Bread

~ Kathrin

Jul29

A Guest Post: Acılı Ezme – Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Kathrin

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

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!

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.

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!

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

Author: Zerrin @Give Recipe for ginger, lemon & spice

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

Chop peeled tomatoes, onion, garlic, chili peppers and parsley as finely as you can. The finer the better. Mix them in a bowl.
Mix lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, olive oil and pepper paste until smooth. Add this mixture into salad.
Add salt and spices, mix well.
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

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Kathrin

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!

But let’s talk a bit about the country first.

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!! 🙂

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!

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!

Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

50 mins

A recipe for yummy turkish meat balls with rice and a yoghurt dip with cucumbers and garlic!

Author: Kathrin @ ginger, lemon & spice

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

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.
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

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.
Pour water or stock in and add the spices. Stir once then cover with the lid and wait until the water boils.
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

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

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!
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.
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!

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

Apr15

Creamy Lemon Curd

Posted on April 15, 2013 by gingerlemonandspice

Creamy Lemon Curd

Hey people!

I am totally in a lemony, citrusy mode. I just HAD to buy those organic lemons in the store!! I didn’t really have a plan what to do with them, and I had a lot of ideas. I thought of a lemon loaf, lemon rosemary palmiers, meringue with lemon and raspberry, lemon pasta,… Well I guess I had a lot of ideas. When you should be learning and concentrating on stuff your mind is very happy to escape to things like that!

But in the end – you might have guessed it – Lemon Curd it was!!

I have never done lemon curd before, but I got a jar from a friend as a gift for my birthday once. I really liked the sour and sweet taste of it and it went quickly, just like that, on bread with cream cheese. But there are sooo many more thing you could do with lemon curd! I am thinking about trying those nice mini pavlova stacks from Donal Skehan and make a second version with lemon curd. But I am not sure yet – let’s see if there will be enough lemon curd left or if it will be gone as quickly as the one I got more than a year ago!!

This version of the curd is adapted from sweetapolitas Lemon Meringue Cake and it is very creamy and thick. It does not drop from your spoon, believe me, I have tested this 🙂 The pictures were taken when the curd still was a little warm. It is soo delicious, I can just eat it with a spoon and don’t need bread or cake or anything with it!!

After you gathered all your ingredients it is very easy and quick to make. Well, at least if your not taking about a thousand pictures during the procedure 😉

Creamy Lemon Curd

Ingredients:

4 organic lemons, you need zest and juice

2 whole eggs

4 egg yolks

200g (1 cup) sugar (I used powdered sugar, then it is 1 3/4 cup)

60g (4 tablespoons) butter

Directions:

1. Zest the lemons. You need 2 teaspoons of zest. You can dry the rest of the zest or use it in another recipe. Press juice out of the lemons. You need 160ml (2/3 cup) of juice!

2. Prepare a pot and a metal or ceramic bowl that fits on top. The Bowl should not be too small! Pour hot water into the pot but only as high so that the bowl does not touch the water. Take the bowl of and prepare the mixture

3. Beat eggs and sugar in the metall bowl with a hand mixer until very foamy. Add juice. Stir slowly as it will be very liquid now!

4. Now put the bowl back onto the pot and on low-medium heat and add the butter. Don’t go away, you have to whisk more or less constantly!

5.When the mixture changes consistency and gets thicker take the bowl of the heat and put the mixture through a fine sieve. Now add the zest and stir well. You can put the lemon curd into one bowl and cover with cling film so that it touches or you could do it like me and pour it into several small glass jars, clean the rim and close them immediately. The curd should stay fresh for one or even two weeks in the refrigerator, but I have not tried it myself. So no garantees 😉 Enjoy!