Turkish Cabbage Rolls

I follow this delectable Turkish food blog.  Ozlem's Turkish Table has recipes that drip authenticity. An enthusiastic, descriptive teacher and blogger, she has a talent for out of the ordinary preparations. She gathers from experience, from family, so every now and then we are treated to a meander through a Turkish kitchen... All delightfully delicious. 

Her last post intrigues me. Cabbage rolls filled with ground beef and bulgar, cooked in a sauce of lemon and olive oil. I am inspired enough to recreate. Plain cabbage is replaced with Savoy cabbage, because I like the veined look of these leaves. Fresh mint in place of dried, as fresh is more flavorful. Just a few adjustments to the original and I'm ready to roll cabbage leaves. 

The filling is kneaded well. Cabbage leaves are separated and boiled. The braising liquid is easily assembled. Keep paper towels handy!! A messy prep leads to neat packages. They fit snugly in a Dutch oven. Liquid is poured over the rolls. I place a plate over the rolls. The plate is topped with a bowl of water. This weighs down the rolls, making sure they do not unravel while braising. The lid goes on and it cooks undisturbed for forty five minutes. Anticipation is the name of the game!

TURKISH CABBAGE ROLLS

Makes 6-8 rolls

6-8 Savoy Cabbage leaves

8 oz ground Beef

1/2 cup Bulgar

2 tablespoons fresh Mint leaves

1 small Onion

Handful of Parsley leaves

1/2 teaspoon Cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon Chile Flakes

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Freshly cracked Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Olive Oil

2 cloves Garlic

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/2 teaspoon Chile Flakes

2 teaspoons Olive Oil

1 Lemon, juiced 

10 fresh Mint leaves, chopped fine

1 teaspoon Tomato Paste 

2-3 cups Water

Freshly cracked Black Pepper 

1/2 cup Yogurt, whisked smooth

Start by boiling 4 cups of water in a large saucepan.

Once water has boiled,  add cabbage leaves a few at a time. Cook leaves for 3-4 minutes, then drain leaves in a colander.

Assemble the filling by placing beef and bulgar in a bowl.

Mince onion into very fine dice and add to beef.

Finely chop mint and parsley leaves and add to beef.

Season with cumin, chile flakes, salt, pepper and olive oil. Use your hand to knead beef well. 

Pat the cabbage leaves dry. Using a sharp knife cut out the rib in the center of each leaf. Discard hard centers.

Take about 2-3 tablespoons of filling and pack it into a cylindrical form in the center of the leaf. Start rolling the leaf by covering the filling with lower leaves. Tuck leaves tightly over the filling. Tuck left and right sides into the center, then roll leaf forward till you have a tight cylinder. Repeat with other leaves. The filling should be adjusted according to the size of the leaves. 

The braising liquid starts with peeling garlic cloves. Mash garlic in a mortar and pestle with the salt. Spoon out into a bowl.

To the bowl add chile flakes, lemon juice, mint leaves, tomato paste, olive oil, 2 cups water and black pepper.

Arrange cabbage rolls in a saucepan. They should fit in snugly. 

Pour the braising liquid over rolls. The liquid should cover at least 3/4 of the rolls. If needed, add more water to the saucepan. 

Place saucepan over medium heat. Bring liquid to a slow simmer. Place a plate or lid on top of rolls. Place a bowl of water on top of the plate. Cover saucepan with a lid and let rolls simmer for 45 minutes. 

Uncover lid. Gently lift rolls and arrange on a platter. Pour remaining liquid over rolls. 

Enjoy rolls accompanied with whisked yogurt.

 I am excited as I uncover the lid. I eagerly stick my face into the saucepan. I am not disappointed. I love what I see and inhale. The rolls take on a lacy look, the Savoy cabbage giving the rolls a distinct pattern. Steam escapes as I fork a bite. The bulgar has fluffed nicely. Meat takes on the seasoning flavors. Paired with yogurt, the rolls taste meaty, wholesome. With some help from Ozlem, the taste of Turkey travels easily to my table.   

Corn and Shishito Pepper Soup

Carla gives me a coffee table Mexican cookbook. Fonda San Miguel, a revered Austin restaurant, binds their beloved recipes into a stunning book. The corn soup is by far my favorite. 

This is not a soupy soup. It's a hefty puree, a ladleful that pools on a spoon. A mouthful of pure unadulterated corn flavor. You start by slicing off shucked corn using a sharp knife. My technique is to hold the ear vertically in wide bowl. Corn bits fly across the counter, but almost all of them land in the bowl. I slice in a downward motion going all the way to the bottom, rotating corn as I slice. There are a plethora of devices on the market that make this job easier. I prefer the vertical slice method. Blitz corn kernels with milk. Not too smooth, as you want to taste bits of corn. This gives the soup its signature taste. I add a pat of butter, lightly season with salt and pepper and a quick simmer... And soup is good to go. 

Garnishes are requisite. The recipe calls for poblano peppers. But my current obsession is Shishito peppers. I blister some in a pan and float them on the soup. I fry a blizzard of tortilla shreds till golden brown, the must-have crunch the soup needs. Some shredded spicy cheese adds a  distinct flavor. All I want is a spoon.

CORN AND SHISHITO PEPPER SOUP 

Serves 4

4 ears fresh Corn OR 4 cups frozen Corn

4 cups whole or 2% Milk

2 tablespoons Butter

3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Freshly ground Black Pepper 

2 cups Shishito Peppers

1 tablespoon Canola Oil

2 flour Tortillas 

1 cup Canola Oil 

4 tablespoons shredded Monterey Jack with jalapeños

If you are using fresh corn, remove outer husks and silk. Stand corn vertically on a plate or a bowl and remove kernels with a sharp knife. Rotate corn as you slice. Do this carefully as ears tend to slip occasionally. 

Put the cobs in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a low simmer for 5 minutes. Use the corn stock to thin the soup if desired. 

Frozen corn needs to be defrosted before using. 

Blend corn and milk till almost smooth. You might have to do this in batches.

Pour pureed corn into a saucepan. Place saucepan over medium heat.

Once soup has bubbled, add butter, salt and pepper. Let soup simmer for another 5 minutes. If desired, use the corn broth to thin out the soup. Season soup accordingly.

Remove stems of shishito peppers. Cut into 1 inch pieces.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in saucepan. 

Add peppers and saute over a high flame till flecked brown for 5-7 minutes. 

Heat a cup of oil in wok or frying pan. 

Cut tortillas into thin shreds and deep fry in hot oil till brown. Drain on paper towels. 

Divide soup into 4 bowls.

Top with shishito peppers, Monterey Jack cheese and fried tortillas. 

All I need is big spoon as a big appetite is a given! Nothing warms the soul like a bowl of hot, crunchy, spicy soup. The stomach too!

Black Pepper Chicken

Sometimes a recipe grabs you by the throat. This one does. Except that the recipe calls for tofu. Not my favorite food. But then I think, what if I use chicken in place? Would it work? If it doesn't, I would be in big trouble as it is a simple dinner tonight. Sweet corn soup, chicken and fried rice.  Two out of three wouldn't quite work. I go ahead with the experiment. 

Chicken thighs have the flavor quotient I am looking for. When cut into bite size pieces they retain moisture and taste, no matter which way they are cooked. Boneless skinless thighs have little fat. They are a better alternative to breast meat. Then again, it's my opinion. Feel free to use your choice of chicken parts!

Unlike most Chinese food where there is a lot of slice and dice, this recipe has an ease of prep. I chop ginger and garlic finely. Green chiles are sliced on a bias. Sauces sit on the counter top. I'm not too sure about adding three sauces. Kecap manis adds a sweet touch, a good foil for the regular and dark soya sauces. The recipe calls for butter in place of oil, another variation which intrigues. I go to wok with a wooden spatula and a sense of discovery.

BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN

Serves 4

1 lb boneless skinless Chicken Thighs

3-4 tablespoons Cornstarch 

1/2 cup Canola Oil

3 tablespoons Butter

2 Shallots, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons finely chopped Garlic

2 tablespoons finely chopped Ginger 

2 Chiles

3 tablespoons Kecap Manis or Sweet Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce 

2 tablespoons dark Soy Sauce 

2 teaspoons Sugar

2-3 tablespoons ground Black Pepper 

1/2 cup Cilantro 

Cut chicken thighs into 1 inch pieces. Wash and dry chicken.

Heat canola oil in a wok.

Coat chicken pieces in cornstarch. 

Fry chicken in batches, 6-7 pieces at a time, till brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels or on a rack.

Clean out wok. Place wok over medium heat and add butter.

Drop shallots, ginger and garlic into melted butter.

Slice green chiles on a bias and add to butter. Saute for 10 minutes till ginger and  garlic turns golden brown.

Add Kecap manis and both soy sauces, along with the sugar. Stir well till sauce starts bubbling. 

Turn flame to low.

At this point add the chicken to sauce and let it hang out in the sauce for 5-10 minutes.

Sprinkle pepper over chicken. Stir well to mix.

Serve chicken hot, garnished with cilantro.

As I wok and roll, I am inhaling the enticing aroma of garlic slowing browning in butter. The three sauces bubble in harmony. The dark brown sauce coats the chicken as it simmers. Generous amounts of black pepper give the chicken a tongue tingling taste. Simple fried rice and black pepper chicken emerge a perfectly matched duo. The recipe that's grabs me, spices up my dinner well!

Sanza or Semolina Hulva with Raisins

The Festival of Lights dawns to a charcoal gray sky. I draw rangoli on the front steps. Rain splatters wash away the delicate imprints. In spite of the dismal weather I feel joyous. Today is the beginning of a new year. An auspicious aura fills the soul. I gather materials to make an offering. A sweet of course.

It is to be an easy sweet. Something to please the gods and us. Sanza, as I have always called it, is a one-two-three dessert that comes together in a jiffy. You may know it as sheera, or semolina or sujji hulva or sweet upma. Made of rava or fine semolina, roasted in ghee and cooked in milk, sanza is usually served at puja times, ceremonious occasions or just because. In the U.S. you could use cream of wheat in a pinch. Bu you will find it is worth the effort if you could locate authentic Indian rava. 

As I roast rava, a delicious aroma envelopes the kitchen. Memories course through me. The tiny stove in my grandma's kitchen. My Mum doling out portions to us at the dinner table. Satyanarayan pujas where we use our fingers to eat sanza in bowls made out of leaves. There must a correlation between sanza and my trove of recollections!!!

SANZA or SEMOLINA HULVA with RAISINS 

Serves 2

1/4 cup Rava, Semolina or Cream of Wheat

1 tablespoon Ghee

1/2 cup whole or 2% Milk

1/4 cup Sugar

1/4 cup Raisins 

A pinch of Saffron

Heat ghee in a small wok or pan.

Add rava to hot ghee and stir to mix. Set the flame low. Keep stirring every few minutes. As the rava roasts it will emit a nutty aroma. Keep stirring till rava changes color from white to a light, toasty brown. Don't walk away as the rava browns really fast when hot. You do not want it to turn a dark brown.

Add milk, sugar,  raisins and saffron to rava. The milk will bubble violently when added. Pour the milk slowly so you will not get splattered on. Stir vigorously till mixed well. Cook rava on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often.

The rava should be dry and crumbly.  Let the mixture sit for a few minutes.

Serve this dessert warm. 

A small helping is first offered to the gods. The New Year has started well. A not too elaborate sweet heralds in good times. Candles are lit, rangoli is once again laid out, a marigold toran is hung outside the front door. Dessert is ready. All that is missing are the firecrackers that signal the beginning of Divali. As always Shauna sings the Diwali song. Far from India I remember and reconfigure a festival dear to my heart.