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Giada's Milanesi Cookies

By Ozlem Warren on December 14, 2010 in Cakes and Desserts, Uncategorised 5

My good friend Giada is from the Italian part of Switzerland, and used to bake these wonderful cookies around Christmas time to share with us all when we lived in Austin. We loved getting them and always looked forward to it; delicately flavoured, yummy cookies, just a wonderful thing to celebrate and share. She very kindly shared the recipe and me and my daughter had a go making them. They are lots of fun and easy to make as family, and putting a little edible glitter on adds an extra sparkle and magic 🙂

Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time : 10 minutes
Makes about 35-40 cookies (depending on the size and shape)

125gr/ 1 ¼ oz gr butter
125gr/ 1 ¼ oz sugar (1 cup)
2 eggs
pinch salt
Zest of ½ lemon
250gr/ 8 ¾ oz flour
1 egg yolk to brush the cookies
15ml/1 tablespoon (or more) of raspberry jam to decorate cookies
Edible sparkly glitter to decorate the cookies

Preheat oven to 200 C (about 400F)

In a large bowl, work the butter until creamy. Add sugar and eggs mix well. Stir in the salt, lemon zest and flour, and knead into a dough. Cover and keep in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Put a little flour on the surface and roll the dough flat. Cut the cookies with different shapes of your choice. If you like, spread a little raspberry jam to some for a different variety.

Place the cookies on a greased tray and brush with the egg yolk. Bake for about 10 minutes, until they turn golden colour. Once cooked, sprinkle with edible glitters and enjoy:)

Afiyet Olsun!

Eggplant (aubergine) Pot Stew and Beautiful Winter Frost at Wisley Gardens – Patlicanli Tencere Kebabi

By Ozlem Warren on December 10, 2010 in Casseroles and Stews, Uncategorised 1

This is one of my favourite stews – or as we call in Turkish, Pot Kebabs, “Tencere Kebabi”. The marriage of sweet, meaty aubergines with the delicately flavoured shallots (and lots of it) is divine; you hardy need the meat to add extra flavour (You may try excluding the meat for a delicious vegetarian course). I love dipping the crusty bread to its juice. Also the lentil/bulgur patties (recipe is under the section of mezes in the blog) goes very well to dip into the yummy juice of the stew.

Christmas Eve dinner is traditionally Turkish dinner in our home, as our international (extended) family loves Turkish cooking, especially the aubergines. So this will be my main course this year. You can cook this delicious stew ahead of time and any left overs can be frozen successfully. You can enjoy entertaining stress-free:)

And a little photo from the wonderful Wisley Gardens; the frost on the plants make the gardens look absolutely magical.

Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 35 minutes Cooking time: 55 minutes

3 small to medium eggplants (aubergines), quartered and sliced
450gr/1lb shallots, peeled and cut in half
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes
1 carrot, cut in cubes
500gr/ 1 ¼ lb beef or lamb in chestnut sized pieces
90 ml/ 6 tablespoon olive oil
400gr/ 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes
15ml/1 tablespoon Turkish red pepper paste (optional)
8fl oz/ 1 cup water
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and ground black pepper

Spread the eggplant slices in a tray and sprinkle salt over them, leave for 15-20 minutes. Salt will help to take the moisture out of the eggplants. Drain the juices, as they are bitter, and squeeze dry the eggplants with paper or tea towel.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pan. Stir in the eggplants and shallots and sauté until they start to turn golden brow (my mother actually would shake the pan too, so that the aubergines don’t get bruised:) Season with salt and pepper. Add the meat to brown a little. Toss in the carrots and potatoes and cook for a few minutes, stir well. Season with salt and black pepper generously. Add the chopped tomatoes, red pepper paste (if used) and water, mix well. Check the seasoning and add the red pepper flakes. Cover and cook on a medium to low heat for about 40 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken.

Serve hot with some nice crusty bread or plain rice by the side. The bulgur&lentil; patties in the blog (under Meze section) would go really well to dip in the delicious juice of the stew too.

Afiyet Olsun!

Chocolate and Almond Torte – Cikolatali, Bademli Islak Kek

By Ozlem Warren on November 17, 2010 in Cakes and Desserts, Uncategorised 0

I can’t resist anything with almonds in it – and chocolate is a huge bonus too :). We eat almonds in abundance in Turkey, where some of the best almonds come from. They are packed with flavour and have great health benefits; full of fibre and antioxidants, one of the most nutritious of all nuts. Make sure to include almonds in your diet for a healthier life style.

This lovely moist torte is an absolute winner; it keeps very moist inside, a real treat for everyone. It is rich and even a little slice is enough to brighten the day. I like it served with fresh berries. Crème fraiche or vanilla ice cream would go well too.

I have adopted this recipe from the Food and Travel magazine, a great read, highly recommended.

4oz/120gr good quality dark chocolate (min. 70 % cocoa solids)
4 ¼ oz/130gr milk chocolate
250gr/8 ½ oz unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus extra for greasing
6 free-range eggs, separated
125gr/ 4 ¼ oz light brown muscovado sugar
60gr/2oz ground almonds

Preheat the oven to 190 C/350F/Gas5

Lightly grease a 23cm springform cake tin. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir until combined then leave to cool.

Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Using a large spoon, fold in the ground almonds.

Put the egg whites into a clean dry bowl and whisk until they form stiff peaks. Using a large metal spoon, fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until they are just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35 minutes. The torte will be very moist in the middle but resist cooking it for longer.

Remove the torte from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin before serving.

Afiyet Olsun!