Simit

A firm favorite amongst the Turkish people.  Simit is sold everywhere, by basket carrying street vendors, on pushing carts, in bakeries and cafes all over Turkey. 

Crunchy, nutty, on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside it pairs well with sliced cucumbers, olives, tomatoes and cheese. You can even eat it with a White Bean Dip ( recipe below ) and roasted red peppers, which is what I did. 

For the Dough: 

500g or 3 + ¼ cups of flour 

7g or 2 teaspoon dry instant yeast

1 teaspoon salt

300ml warm water

For the coating: 

1/2 cup molasses or maple syrup or date syrup 

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon flour

Approximately 1 1/2 cups toasted sesame seeds

Method: 

Start by preparing the dough. 

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast and salt. Pour in the water and mix it with your hand. Knead it for 5 minutes or until you get a smooth and non-sticky, elastic dough. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. 
2. Once kneaded, cover it, place it in a warm place, and let it rise for about 1 hour. 

Prepare the coating:

1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the molasses or date syrup or maple syrup, water and flour. Keep it aside.
2. Put the sesame seeds in another bowl. Keep it aside. 

Shaping the Simit: 

1. When the dough doubles in size, punch it down and transfer on a floured surface. Shape it into a log and cut it into 6 equal pieces. And then cut each piece into two. You should have 12 pieces in total.
2. Take two pieces and roll them into a long rope, about 20 cm in length.
3. Put these side by side and stick the ends by pinching.
4. Twist in opposite directions to make a braid.
5. Combine the two ends by pinching them together to form a ring.
6. Repeat this for the remaining dough balls.

Coat the Simit dough and bake:

1. Preheat the oven at 425C/220C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put it aside.
2. Soak the simit ring into the molasses mixture first and then put it into the sesame seed bowl. Transfer onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden. 

White Bean Dip

Ingredients: 

1 cup white beans, (I used canned beans) drained and rinsed 

1 cup cashews, preferably soaked overnight 

3 cloves of garlic 

1/4 tsp garlic powder 

Juice of 1/2 a lemon 

1 tbsp nutritional yeast 

1/2 tsp sea salt 

A couple of tablespoons of water while blending 

1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley- to garnish 

Roasted Tomatoes: 

1 vine of cherry tomatoes (about a cup) 

1 tbsp olive oil 

3 garlic pods, skin on. 

Salt to sprinkle on 

Method:  

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C or 392°F. 
2. Add the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and sea salt to a roasting tray. Cover the garlic pods in some foil. Now place the tray in the middle section of the oven. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst.
3. In the meantime, add all of the dip ingredients to a blender, except the chopped parsley. Blend everything until smooth, adding water as needed to thin it down a tiny bit. 
4. Transfer to a low wide dish. Using the back of a spoon create a swirl. Add the roasted tomatoes, garlic, fresh parsley and the olive oil remaining in the baking dish on top. 

Best eaten along with warm Pita bread or Simit! 

No time to waste on a food photo because this has to be eaten hot off the hob. 

So I took a quick photograph, ate and decided that this is so good, it will be a pity if I don’t share it. 

I saw this recipe on another food bloggers page and knew the very instant it’s gonna be real good. 

I made a few tweaks, added some extra oomph and voila! An umami rich, ultra creamy, without any heavy cream and so, so good. 

The Furukake and Shichimi Togarashi and the lemon zest I ndeed add another level of flavors to the whole dish. 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 a zucchini, grated 

1 medium size onion or 1/2 a leek

1 largish spring onion 

3 cloves of garlic, minced 

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Lemon zest 

1 tbsp Furukake 

1/2 tbsp Shichimi Togarashi

200 ml vegan cream

1 tbsp of nutritional yeast (optional) 

1 tbsp Miso Paste

400g Udon

Parsley to garnish 

Method:

1. Finely slice the leeks or onions. 
2. Grate the zucchini using a box grater.
    2. Add an olive oil to a large pan. Once hot add the onions or leeks, spring onions and the minced garlic. Lower the heat and let them slowly cook for about 5 minutes. Now add the zucchini, give it a mix and cook for another 5-8 minutes. Add pepper. 
3. In a bowl mix the miso paste and vegan cream until well combined. Pour this into the pan. 
4. Add in the udon, and turn the heat to a low. Allow to cook for 5 mins or until the udon is softened and you can easily mix them all together.
5. Add in a tiny bit of water if you think the sauce is too thick. 
6. Finally top it off with the Furukake, Shichimi Togarashi and add the zest of half a lemon. 
7. Sprinkle some parsley, enjoy and thank me!! 

Hot off the oven - Tomato Tart! 

Tomatoes - normally very happy to take a backseat and help other ingredients steal the limelight, today I used this humble fruit to take the centre stage. 

Vibrant color, fantastically fresh flavors and popping with sweetness, this vine-ripe heirloom Tomato Tart is simply delicious. With a cream cheese filling and flaky buttery crust, the end product results in a perfect mingling of taste and texture. 

If you can get your hands on different shapes, colors and sizes, go ahead and buy them! The flavor and texture of each one of them is like a story on its own. 

This tart is a sure winner visually and in taste - and with a classic combination of tomato, garlic and basil you really can’t go wrong! 

Such a is great way to welcome the coming seasons fresh produce. 

For the tart base: 

2 cup spelt flour or plain unrefined flour 

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted plant based butter, cut into small pieces and chilled. You can use regular butter or a plant based butter 

5 tablespoons of ice cold water 

Add flour, butter, salt  into a mixing bowl. Using your fingers pinch the butter into the flour until the mixture has a grainy texture. A few coarser lumps are just fine. 

Next, drizzle water over the flour and mix with a fork until mostly incorporated. 

By now your pastry should start resembling a dough kind of consistency. 

Knead it to form it into a disk, wrap it in a cling film and pop it into the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes. 

For the filling: 

1 cup vegan cream cheese or Ricotta or regular cream cheese 

1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves - keep half aside. 

3 tbsp vegan cheese or Parmesan cheese 

1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic 

1 small finely chopped shallot 

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

Pinch of salt 

A mix of different types of tomatoes like cherry tomatoes, campari tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes.......... Such a wide variety to choose from.

In a small bowl add all the above ingredients and give it a good mix. Cover and keep refrigerated. 

Now for the tart base :

1. Pre heat the oven on 175°C 

2. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and on to your work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it out just slightly larger than the tart form. 

3. Gently lift it up and lay it on the 9” tart form. Press gently into the shape of the form and cut out any access dough. 

4. Prick it all over with a fork and put it in the oven to bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool. 

After 10 minutes, Spread the cream cheese mixture on the half baked tart shell.

Slice the tomatoes in 1 cm thickness and lay them in and around. Slightly press them down. 

In a preheated oven bake the tart for 35 minutes or until the crust edges are golden-brown and the filling is bubbling. 

Cool for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup sliced basil ribbons. Highly recommend to serve it warm! 

This is elegance at its best. It fits in perfectly for a fancy dinner spread or even a Sunday brunch making it an instant winner! 

A new and interesting way to incorporate smoked salmon into your meal. 

It looks fancy but trust me it is pretty easy to put together. 

Creamy, salty-savory with a slight and not too overpowering kick from the wasabi and a mild flavor of the basil and lime. These are unique flavor combinations that blend really well with each other. 

You will need: 

100g smoked salmon , plus about 50g finely chopped, to use later. 

300ml thickened cream or vegan cream, which is what I used. 

8 basil leaves, washed 

2 gelatin leaves

1½ tsp wasabi paste

1 tsp lemon juice 

A dash of ground black pepper 

Salt to taste 

Method:

1. Place cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a rolling boil. 

2. Soften gelatine in cold water for about 3 minutes, squeeze out excess water.

3. Remove cream mixture from heat and stir in gelatine mixture until dissolved. 

4. Using a stick blender, blitz the gelatin mixture with the salmon, basil and wasabi until smooth. 

5. Add the 50g of finely chopped salmon and stir. 

6. Give it a taste and season 

7. Pour into moulds. 

8. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or longer. 

9. Decorate with the remaining salmon, lemon rind and  sprinkle a little Furikake. 

Best served chilled with a side salad and crusty bread. 

 The star of this recipe is definitely the Cashew Mayo. It’s creamy and smooth, healthy and it tastes amazing, basically everything you want it to be. 

I’m a huge Mayo fan but I always need to think twice before dipping my fries into that fat and calorie laden condiment, especially when paired with other fried foods. 

Enter this guilt free version of Mayonnaise. 

Give it a go and I’m telling you, you won’t go back to eating regular Mayo. 

Ingredients:

2 cups cashews - soaked in boiling water for an hour. 

3 tbsp oat cream or any vegan cream 

1 tbsp virgin olive oil

1 tbsp truffle oil 

1 tbsp lime juice 

1 garlic clove 

1 tsp mustard with no added sugar

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp maple syrup 

Sea salt and Pepper to taste 

Adjust the flavor according to your preference. 

I added a bit more garlic and lime juice. 

For The cashew Mayo:

Blend all the ingredients using a stick blender until it reaches a smooth and creamy consistency. 

Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning according to your preference.

For the wedges 

1. Slice the kohlrabi into thick wedges. 

2. Make a dry rub with flour, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder and black pepper powder. 

3. Coat the kohlrabi wedges with this mix. 

4. Lay them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake them at 200°C for 15 minutes. Turn them over and bake further for another 10 minutes. 

Once out of the oven sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.