This time of year is amazing, with all the fresh produce, being pulled, from the gardens. So often we use this produce as side dishes and add-ons. Sometimes these side dishes become the stars of the night, due to their vibrancy. This week we wanted to truly feature what we have grown, and what better cuisine to feature it in than Turkish?
Turkish cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Caucasian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Balkan cuisines. Turkish cuisine has in turn influenced those and other neighbouring cuisines, including those of Western Europe. Best of all we found recipes that could truly feature the freshness of the ingredients at hand.
With Steph being away on the weekend, we had not decided on guests, when we realized we kind of needed a night of catching up. So for this week, along with our trio, we have…. just us (reminiscent of the beginnings of Monday Night Dining).
We were greeted with a flute of Long Dog Inflorescence, 2014 Gamay Noir Sparkling wine, which we also matched to our first course. We had time for a bit of a chin wag, while Shawn started the prep and I started the charcoal. Then on to the first course, Zucchini fritters with dill, served with Cacik. Cacik is the original diluted yogurt and cucumber dish, that is similar the more recent Tarator or Tzatziki. These little bundles of flavour had us reaching for more… again and again.
Since our success with barbecuing pizzas, we have tried out a few different ones. Shawn managed to find a Turkish pizza recipe, that featured spinach, we instead used a combination of spinach and swiss chard, from the garden, along with creme fraiche and haloumi cheese. The fresh ingredients along with homemade dough and a bit of smokiness, from the coals, made for a tasty treat.
barbecuing pizzas is always fun, but now the course we have been waiting for. A celebration of our fresh ingredients! Our main course featured Yoghurt marinated chicken kebabs with Aleppo peppers, Turkish braised green and yellow beans, Baby beets in a herb dressing, oven roasted tomatoes with pomegranate molasses, and rice pilaf. We served this with another of Steph’s finds, Long Dog Rose.
The beets were so vibrant and flavourful, and the tomatoes were a true community effort (Steph started the plants from seed and we raised and cultivated them). The tomatoes were a black cherry tomato, just bursting with summer goodness, and the homemade pomegranate molasses was surprising. I have to say, in my mind, that the beans, quite and underappreciated vegetable, were the stars. This recipes brings out the freshness of the beans and layers other flavours on top. I could not stop eating these beans.
It was a lovely late summer evening, with a breeze blowing. This gave a chance to digest and catch up on gardens and travels, compositions and plans. As dusk was settling we brought out the Turkish love cake. There are many stories about the name of the this cake, but the most predominant is the common girl who fell in love with an Ottoman Prince. She tempted him with this cake and won his affection…. And no wonder! This is a subtle chiffon style cake, with cardamom seeds, that burst with aroma, as you bite them. It is filled with rose, and saffron scented whipped cream, inspired by the aromatics of Turkish, Persian and Indian confections. The top is sprinkled with pistachios and fresh candied rose petals. This was paired with another find from Prince Edward County, Exultet Estates 2014 Vidal Fortified sweet wine.
I have to say, that I knew from the ingredients that it would be tasty, but the subtlety of flavour in this dessert are quite amazing. Plus it’s stunning looking on the plate.
This was a great evening of the three of us just chilling and sharing a meal together. It gave us a much needed moment to catch up with each other’s busy lives, while we enjoyed the bounty of the garden, and the lovely late summer weather.
Totally awesome dinner, and great catching up on our summer adventures. I loved the sweet little roasted tomatoes of course, but the Love Cake was truly to die for. I wish summer lasted forever!