Showing posts with label marrow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marrow. Show all posts
A Tantalizing Turkish Home-Cooked Supper
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of enjoying a very special home-cooked dinner by my friends from Turkey, Ugur and Ozlem, along with their little sous chef in training, Taylan. The food was prepared with passion and precision that is worth sharing and remembering. |
| left: grilled, peeled eggplant; right: marrow bones grilled on a cedar plank |
The multi-course meal began with prep for one of Ugur's self-created dishes. It just happens to contain my favorite vegetable, eggplant, and the decadent, beloved ingredient of marrow.
To tell you the truth, after hearing about this dish from my brother and sister-in-law, I asked for the invitation to try it!
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| Ilikcan - a compound name of Turkish words for marrow and eggplant |
The finished dish involved several complex steps and ingredients which resulted in this savory, creamy, slightly spicy concoction which Ugur named Ilikcan (ilik = bone marrow and can is short for patlican = eggplant).
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| Ilikcan on Etimek toast crackers |
I could have eaten this dish in any way, but we spread it onto toasted crackers called Etimek, which provided the appropriate crunch and toasty contrast to the creamy spread. It was hard to stop, but remembered that this was the appetizer.
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| Tarhana soup with salad |
Ozlem prepared the next course of Tarhana soup. The translation into English was not clear, but my palate was detecting some tomato, onions, peppers, herbs, perhaps yogurt, all thickened with some type of flour base. It was comforting.
The salad, to be eaten with the main course, contained finely sliced greens, radicchio, avocado and nutty, peppery cumin seeds in a lemony vinaigrette.
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| Marinated lamb chops |
Undoubtedly, Ugur's most perfect dish are his famous lamb chops. He made these for me almost a decade ago, early into our friendship, and several times throughout. It is his unique, secret recipe.
I would have been happy with the Ilikcan alone. When he brought out the tray of chops marinated in spices, onion juices and other magical ingredients, I had to pinch myself. It was a lovely, unexpected treat.
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| Grilled lamb chops |
While we were eating the soup course, he began grilling these beauties in the patio, bringing out this delectable plate.
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| Lamb chops - detail |
While they were perfection before, he seemed to even improve upon this dish. I've had perfectly prepared lamb chops at many fine dining establishments, but these are hands down my favorite.
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| Poğaça - stuffed, puff pastries |
Also during the lamb preparation, Ozlem made these Poğaça puff pastries from scratch.
Half were filled with a type of feta cheese and half were filled with sliced olives, another favorite of mine. She brushed the tops with an egg wash and sprinkled more cumin seeds on top.
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| Poğaça and Sooji halwa for dessert |
According to Ozlem, these pastries are often eaten for breakfast. I enjoyed the savory, warm, light pastries for dessert since my sweet tooth is not too strong. They were served piping hot right out of the oven.
From home I also made and brought over the popular Indian sweet Sooji halwa, similar to Cream of Wheat, but richer.
There are many variations of this classic but my version was made of semolina wheat flour, ghee (clarified butter), ground cardamom seeds, sliced almonds, golden raisins and brown sugar. In this photo the halwa is cut into squares and warmed up.
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| çay - Turkish tea |
Along with Turkish custom, we ended this soul satisfying meal with several cups of çay, or Turkish black tea that is slowly brewed in stacked teapots. A more fitting close to a delightful meal I cannot imagine. With this post, I'd like to once again thank my friends for their warm hospitality by cooking this unforgettable meal with love.
Recent Finds: Waterloo & City - Comforting & Exciting
During the recent DineLA week in Los Angeles, where diners can enjoy 3-course meals for lunch or dinner at an often discounted price, I visited some favorites and tried something new.
Waterloo & City, the British gastropub named after a London underground railway line, has never disappointed. This time it even exceeded my satisfaction from prior visits. Their DineLA menu highlighted some of Chef Brendan Collins' new menu items.
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| Waterloo & City - caesar salad |
As a starter I ordered the caesar salad in an effort to keep things light, keeping room for the hearty main course and desserts. This inventive presentation and classical tasting caesar salad with poached organic egg, dried prosciutto, anchovies and the wrap-around crouton turned my head as the server walked by me with it. I was thrilled when he placed it in front of me.
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| Waterloo & City - caesar salad. Click on photo to enlarge. |
Despite its modern look, it tasted traditional, familiar and comforting. The modern touches were subtle, such as the poached egg yolk running into the dressing adding a new level of creaminess.
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| Waterloo & City - Prime Beef and Bone Marrow Pie |
I love marrow, almost never passing it up on a menu. Having said that, each choice on this menu was equally appealing. The entree of prime beef and bone marrow pie with a silky, creamy potato puree really hit the spot.
From the title, I expected a beef pie with some marrow mixed into the filling. This golden crust with a bone marrow and tiny spoon perched in the middle was another delightful surprise.
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| Waterloo & City - Prime Beef and Bone Marrow Pie |
After devouring the marrow and lifting the bone out, some of the marrow melted into the filling, adding even more flavor. In a pot pie situation, one expects slow cooked slightly mushy filling. This finely shredded beef tasted bright and was complimented by finely diced, still firm carrots, potatoes, peas and other vegetables.
Nobody in the table was able to get more than halfway done with the pie, but it tasted almost as great reheated the next evening.
I wrote another post about three rounded shaped comfort foods. Here are two more winners to add to that theme. Can't wait for the next trip to try Chef Collins' other creations.
Recent Finds: Round Comfort Food
During the past two months, with the cool autumn-winter weather, there were a few soulful dishes I had and the common theme is that they all had round shapes in them.
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| gnocchi with morel mushrooms + champagne cream |
A friend kindly invited me to Nic's Martini Lounge in Beverly Hills for a full night out - cocktails, dinner, dessert and finally donning leopard spotted fur coats to experience their unique Vodbox. It was an extravagant evening of feasting for all senses. There were quite a few solid dishes. My favorites were: roasted beets in papilotte with feta and zinfandel vinaigrette, Nic's famous oysters sauteed with herbs, walnuts and garlic and placed back on the half shell with the pan sauces on top.
Yet, the most comforting of the dishes was the above gnocchi with morel mushrooms and champagne cream. It's made up of round disks of carmelized gnocchi that resemble scallops. The fluffy, cloudy gnocchi melts in your mouth. As if that's not enough, the plate is generously sprinkled with morel mushrooms. The whole thing sits in the creamy, decadent sauce which the textured morels and porous gnocchi soak up like sponges.
The other two dishes were from Ludo Bites 6.0 @ Max. This meal was probably my 12th+ time at Ludo Bites, to give you an idea of how exciting the food is to me.
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| marinated mackerel, leche del tigre, baby leeks, verdologas leaves |
During this last round with that particular evening's menu, there were many memorable dishes on the table. What I look for with Chef Ludo Lefebvre's dishes is something that challenges my tastebuds. The marinated mackerel, leche del tigre, baby leeks and verdologas (aka purslane) made a statement from its looks to its flavors. Mackerel is one of the oilier, fishier fishes and the fact that the skin was sugary and torched to a crisp really brought on a vivid contrast of tastes and textures. The greens were baby leeks and verdologas, which both added balance and an earthy to fresh and crunchy texture. The Tiger's Milk sauce is used to cure the fish in a ceviche dish. The citrus tang beautifully complemented and brought together all the complex flavors. The dish tasted best with a bite containing every component together.
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| marinated Korean steak, crispy kimchi, radish, bone marrow, shiso |
Another standout was the marinated Korean steak, crispy kimchi, radish, bone marrow and shiso dish. The beef was superbly tender and well seasoned. In this case the round part was the marrow which was out of the bone and caramelized. It's delightful for a marrow lover to not have to dig inside the bone. Once again the marrow pieces resembled scallops. Due to their exposed perch on top of the steak on the plate, one had to eat the marrow very quickly before they cooled off and congealed. This hearty dish was nicely counter-balanced with a subtle dried kimchi flavor, shaved cauliflower, shiso leaves and pickled radishes. Once again the symphony of flavors and textures really worked.
So whether it was the gnocchi, the purslane leaves or the marrow, each comforting dish contained beautiful round shapes presented in unique ways that heightened the eating experience. Would you also find these dishes comforting?
