A Cook's Memoir - Inspired recipes from our travels to many exotic lands

Strawberry Preserves

2013-05-20T20:35:00.004-07:00

Kohlrabi Stuffed Tofu

2013-05-20T20:35:00.001-07:00

The first time I came across with Kohlrabi was at the floating vegetable market in Dal Lake Srinagar, Kashmir. Though I did not have a chance to taste this vegetable then however, it was in Hanoi, Vietnam that I actually had it as a salad to accompany a shrimp dish. It had a mild and sweet flavor with a nice crunch to it.
Kohlrabi is actually a German name which means "cabbage turnip".
There are myriad ways of preparing kohlrabi. It can be fried, mashed like mashed potatoes, made into a pie or gratin, stir fried, stuffed and baked etc..The leaves can also be stir fried.

Refreshing Salad made with julienned Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi

Strawberry Yogurt Ice-Cream

2013-05-20T20:33:00.001-07:00

Caramelized Tomato Soup

2013-05-19T19:50:00.002-07:00

Potato Salad

2013-05-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

Passion Fruit Cooler

2013-05-19T19:48:00.001-07:00

Stuffed Zucchini

2013-05-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

Lamb Empanada

2013-05-19T19:41:00.002-07:00

Feta Spinach Stuffed Anaheim Pepper

2013-05-19T19:40:00.001-07:00

Green Bean Salad

2013-05-13T19:48:00.002-07:00

Falafel

2013-05-13T19:47:00.003-07:00

Red Lentil Kofte

2013-05-13T19:46:00.005-07:00

Lentil Curry

2013-05-13T19:46:00.001-07:00

Semolina Idli

2013-05-08T14:24:00.003-07:00

South Indian savory breakfast made with semolina.

Rockfish Fillet with Tarhana

2013-05-06T16:49:00.002-07:00

Ingredients:
8 ozs rockfish fillet
1/2 cup cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup tarhana
oil for frying

Method:

Cut 5 oz of the rockfish into 2 inches long slices and set aside.
Put the rest of the 3 ounces fish in a food processor. Add the salt, black pepper, dried mint, red pepper flake and cream. Puree it . It should have a thick batter consistency.
Season the sliced fish with a little salt and pepper. Dip the sliced fish in this fish batter and roll it in the tarhana. Fry in hot oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with tartar, chipotle mayonnaise or lemon sauce.

Ginger Cake

2013-05-06T16:40:00.002-07:00

Sticky, tender and with a hint of spiciness these delightful cakes are good with coffee ice-cream, Recipe adapted from Julia Child's Baking

Red Lentil Soup - Ezo Gelin Çorbası

2013-05-06T16:36:00.001-07:00

Turkish Red Lentil

Ezo gelin çorbası, "the soup of Ezo the bride") is a common soup found in almost any restaurants in Turkey. The origin of the soup is attributed to Ezo the bride from Gaziantep, Turkey.

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentils, washed
4 tablespoons of bulgur (cracked wheat)

1 medium-sized onion, finely diced
3 Tbsp butter
3 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 Tbsp red pepper paste
2 Tbsp dried mint or fresh mint
Salt and ground black pepper
Red pepper flakes

Method:

Put butter in a saucepan at medium temperature. Once it has melted, saute the onion until soft. Then the tomato paste and red pepper paste and continue cook for another minute. Add about 3 to 4 cups of water, add the lentils and bulgur . Give a good stir and let the lentil come to a boil.
Lower the heat and cover the pan saucepan. Let the soup cook for 30 and 45 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally and do check if the mixture is drying out – in which case add some extra (hot) water.
When the lentil have cooked until very soft, season with salt and mint and ground black pepper, as well as with the red pepper flakes. Let the soup cook for another five minutes and serve it hot, with a slice of lemon.

Sigara böregi

2013-05-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

Turkish Grilled Shrimp

2013-04-29T16:30:00.004-07:00

The Turkish way of grilling meat or seafood is simplicity. The meats and seafood are not over spiced to retain the fresh flavor. I used a garlic and lemon marinade and sprinkle some fish spice that I bought from Turkey. The spice is a mixture of cumin, coriander, bay leaves, dried mint, turmeric and black pepper. I added a sprinkle of dried red pepper to spice it up.

Tomatoes Stuffed with cooked Tarhana

2013-04-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

Tarhana is a mixture of either semolina flour or bulgur, with yogurt, tomatoes, vegetables, herbs and spices. This mixture is fermented for a few days and later dried. Tarhana is considered a probiotic food because of the fermentation process in producing it. The Greek Tarhana contains bulgur wheat and fermented milk.

Traditionally, Tarhana is made into porridge and served with yogurt or feta. Tarhana can also be cooked like making polenta and served as a bed for meat, seafood or vegetable dishes or stuffed in vegetables or squids etc.

Tarhana cooked with shrimp and stuffed in tomatoes

Spinach cooked with Cottage Cheese

2013-03-24T14:24:00.003-07:00

Cheese stuffed Chiles

2013-03-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

Mix Vegetable Soup

2013-03-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

Pound Cake

2013-03-22T18:26:00.001-07:00

Padron Chile Peppers cooked with Chicken

2013-03-22T14:42:00.003-07:00