Baklava

Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry featured in many cuisines in the area once controlled by the former Ottoman Empire, in Central Asia and in the lands in between. It and its variants are thus popular in Turkey, the Balkans, Cyprus, much of the Arab world, Iran, the Caucasus, Afghanistan and the lands of the Turkic peoples of Central Asia. It is a pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey.

Baklava

Rick Stein: "I have already mentioned the impressive furore of activity at Imam Cagdas, the kebab restaurant in Gaziantep, and this was especially so on the first floor where they were making baklava. There must have been 50 or 60 people preparing the paper-thin pastry and the bright green pistachios, building up the trays of baklava and baking them in the huge, wood-fired ovens. But only two people, Burhan Cagdas's ageing father and one other, were allowed to apply the boiling hot syrup after baking, which had to be at just the right temperature and consistency. There was so much flour in the air where the pastries were being assembled that everyone seemed to be working in a dream-like haze. The most distinctive elements, apart from the perfect pastry, were the vibrantly green pistachios, harvested when young, and the butter made from ewe's milk. This is their recipe and is still very good even when made with ordinary butter and pistachios, and is just perfect with a cup of strong black coffee - Turkish, of course."

Baklava Recipe (Makes about 20 pieces)

(Adapted from Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escapes)

Ingredients

• 500 g filo pastry sheets
• 150 g clarified butter, warmed (* see note below on how to make clarified butter)
• 250 g shelled pistachio nuts

For the Pastry Cream:

• 300 ml milk
• 40 g Semolina

For the Syrup:

• 600 g granulated sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice

* To make Clarified Butter: Place butter in a small pan and leave it over a very low heat until it has melted. Skim off any scum from the surface and pour off the clear (clarified) butter into a bowl, leaving behind the milky white solids that will have settled on the bottom of the pan. The butter is ready to use.

Method

1. First make the pastry cream. Put the milk and semolina into a small, non-stick pan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring. Simmer for 1 minute, then transfer the mixture to a bowl, press a sheet of clingfilm onto the surface to prevent it from forming a skin and leave to go cold.
2. Preheat the oven to 160C. Cut down the filo pastry sheets if necessary so they will line a 20 x 30-cm shallow, rectangular, non-stick baking tin. Brush the base and sides of the tin with some of the clarified butter, then line the base with 15 single layers of pastry, brushing each one lightly with butter before adding the next. Don't butter the last sheet of pastry.
3. Mix the pastry cream until smooth, loosening it slightly with a little milk if it seems stiff, then spread it evenly over the top of the pastry. Sprinkle over the chopped pistachios in an even layers. Cover the top of the baklava with another 15 layers of filo pastry, lightly brushing with butter between each layer.
4. Using a larger, very sharp knife, cut the baklava into portion-sized pieces - make 3 evenly spaced cuts lengthways down the tin and then cut across at an angle to make small diamond-shaped pieces (Note: I prefer to cut them into square pieces, less wastage). Drizzle over any remaining butter. Bake the baklava for 1 hour until crisp and richly golden.
5. Meanwhile, for the sugar syrup, put the sugar and 350 ml water into a pan and leave over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is clear. Then bring to the boil and simmer vigorously until it reaches 107-108C, the 'thread' stage - you will need a sugar thermometer to check. Add the lemon juice to the syrup and set aside.
6. A minute or two before the baklava is ready to come out of the oven, bring the sugar syrup back up to the boil. Remove the baklava from the oven, quickly and carefully run a knife along the cuts to check the pieces are all separated, then immediately pour over the hot syrup. This will look like a large amount, but it will gradually be absorbed by the pastry as it cools. Leave the baklava to go cold, then carefully remove from the tin to serve.

Greek Yogurt with Blueberries and Honey

So I heard...

His food obsession is Greek yogurt with blueberries. - ROBsessedpattinson.com. "It is reported that Rob loved Greek yogurt while filming 'Remember Me'." - Twilightseries.co.za. So I made one for myself.... I like it drizzled with honey.

Greek yogurt with blueberries is a healthy obsession.

Greek Yogurt with Blueberries and Honey

Greek Yogurt with Blueberries and Honey Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 glass of Greek Yogurt
• A handful of Blueberries
• Honey

Method

1. Fill 3/4 glass with your favourite brand of Greek yogurt. Top it with a handful of blueberries.
2. Drizzle with honey.

Sicilian Orange Cake

I love baking cakes with fruits. I have posted my favourite recipes for Blueberry-Lemon Cake and Apple-Cinnamon Cake. Now on to this Sicilian Orange Cake which is the best orange cake I have tasted so far. This verdict is further confirmed by all my friends who have tasted it.

This Sicilian Orange Cake is the famous orange cake from the once popular Café Agostini owned by Margie Agostini, in the heart of Sydney ’s suburb for the rich and famous, Woollahra. Customers have often been heard to say that “Margie’s orange cake is to die for”.

I found this recipe on Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape Cookbook a while ago but was surprised to find out how this recipe was linked to Australia:

Rick Stein: "To be accurate, I suppose this cake should be known as Margie Agostini's orange cake. It was her signature dish at her greatly missed Caffe Agostini in Woollahra in Sydney. It seemed to me to be just made for Sicilian oranges. The recipe came from an article in the Times by Jill Dupleix, although I had eaten the cake at the cafe a few years earlier and I thought it was amazing. As Jill says, it has to be the richest, moistest, butteriest and yet lightest orange cake in the world."

Sicilian Orange Cake Recipe

Makes 1 x 22-cm cake, to serve about 8. (Adapted from Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape)

Ingredients

• 250 g lightly salted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
• 250 g caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 250 g self raising flour
• 85 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
• For the icing:
• 125 g icing sugar
• 5 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease and line a 22-cm clip-sided round cake with non-stick baking paper.
2. Using an electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together for 4-5 minutes until very pale. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating very well between each one, if necessary adding a spoonful of flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture from curdling. Beat in the orange zest. Add the flour all at once and mix in well, then slowly mix in the orange juice.
3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer, inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean. If it starts to brown too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of lightly buttered foil.
4. Leave the cake, in its tin, to cool on a wire rack, then carefully remove the sides and base of the tin and peel off the paper. Put it onto a serving plate.
5. For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the orange juice until you have a spreadable consistency. Spread it over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides, and leave to set. Serve cut into slices, and store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Tip: Why not turn this Sicilian Orange Cake into these cute little Orange Cupcakes for the little people?

Greek Style Pot-Roasted Chicken

This is the sort of food I love in Greece, What Debbie Major, who works with me, calls 'a rustic, throw-it-together dish.' The more I watched cooks there, the more I was filled with an obvious thought.: that cooking shouldn't be difficult. They seem to cook just like breathing. Thrown-together such dishes may appear, but their ingredients are always perfectly balanced. This is a sweet and aromatic mix of sun-dried tomato, onion, oregano, cinnamon and chillies; best served with the rice-shaped pasta known to us by its Italian name, orzo.

Greek Style Pot-Roasted Chicken Recipe (Serves 4)

(Adapted from Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape)

Ingredients

• 1 x 2-kg free-range chicken
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 60 g sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
• 500 g vine-ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped, or 400-g can chopped tomatoes
• 7.5-cm piece cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• A generous pinch of crushed dried chillies
• 150 ml chicken stock
• A small handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Season the inside of the chicken. Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole., add the chicken and brown it on all sides over a medium heat.
2. Remove the chicken to a plate, add the remaining oil and the onion to the casserole and cook until soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh or canned tomatoes, cinnamon, oregano, dried chili flakes, chicken stock, 1 tsp of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer, replace the chicken and cover the casserole with some foil and a tight-fitting lid.
3. Transfer the casserole to the oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours until the chicken is very tender.
4. When the chicken is cooked, and the juices from the thickest part of the thigh run clear, life it into a carving board, cover it tightly with foil and leave it to rest somewhere warm for 10 minutes. Skim the excess fat from the surface of the sauce, place the casserole over a medium heat and leave to simmer vigorously until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened.
5. Remove the cinnamon stick from the sauce, stir in the parsley and adjust the seasoning to taste. Carve the chicken. Spoon some of the sauce onto 4 warmed plates and place the chicken on top.
6. Serve with orzo, rice or crusty bread.

Mediterranean Flavour Turkey Casserole

I love the flavour of turkey but I do find that a good turkey recipe can be hard to come by (besides the classic roast turkey). Many people complain of hard and bland turkey meat, particularly the white meat. It has more of a tendency to be dry and tough if not properly prepared.

I saw this casserole recipe that was meant for veal chops. I substituted the veal chops with turkey breast steaks and the dish turned out to be fabulous. All of the flavours blend very well together and the turkey is moist and tender after it has been slow cooked in oven for an hour.

Give this new recipe a try to enjoy the flavour of fresh tomatoes, onion, olives, oregano leaves and turkey meat.

Mediterranean Flavour Turkey Casserole Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 Turkey Breast Steaks
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 small chicken stock cube, crumbled
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 6 black olives

Methods

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
2. Place steaks in flour in bowl, press flour on lightly, shake off excess flour.
3. Reserve 1 tbsp of the flour.
4. Heat oil in medium frying pan, add steaks, cook over high heat until browned on both sides.
5. Place steaks in single layer in ovenproof dish.
6. Add onion to pan, stir constantly over medium heat until flour mixture is lightly browned.
7. Gradually stir in combined wine, water, stock cube and sugar; stir constantly over high heat until mixture boils and thickens.
8. Stir in tomatoes and oregano.
9. Pour into dish, cover with lid, bake in oven for about 1 hour or until chops are tender.
10. Add olives just before serving.