800g fresh ricotta cheese 165g caster sugar 300ml whipping cream 125g pistachio nuts 200g Turkish delight, cut into 1cm cubes 30ml rose water
Line a small 1 litre loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on the sides. Add the ricotta and caster sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat together with an electric whisk until smooth. Set aside. Spoon the cream into a bowl and whisk to soft peaks. Spoon the cream into the ricotta mixture and fold through. Scatter the pistachio, Turkish delight and rosewater over and fold through until evenly distributed. Spoon the mixture into the lined loaf tin and cover with the overhanging plastic wrap. Freeze the terrine for 7-8 hours. Unwrap the top of the terrine and invert it on to a serving plate. Slice to serve.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 10cm x 21cm loaf pan with baking paper. Add the almonds and walnuts to the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. Spoon the nuts into a bowl and add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix through and then spoon 2 tablespoons of the mixture into a small bowl. Set both bowls aside. Sift the flour in to a mixing bowl and add the butter. Rub the butter and flour together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and add the 250ml of milk. Mix with a flat-bladed knife until it forms a soft dough – add a few drops of milk at a time if the mixture needs more liquid. Flour a work surface and place the dough on it. Gently knead the dough until it JUST comes together. Now place the dough between two sheets of baking paper and roll to a 20cm x 35cm rectangle. Brush the surface with the egg and scatter over the nuts. Start from a short end and roll up like a Swiss roll. Place in the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour. Stand in the pan for 10 minute, remove from the baking tin and place on a cooling rack to cool.
For the syrup: Add all the ingredients to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes while stirring. Now boil it without stirring for another 5 minutes and take it from the heat. Pierce the top of the warm loaf with a skewer and drizzle half the syrup over. Sprinkle the reserved two tablespoons nut mixture over the cake and stand for another 10 minutes. Serve the Baklava Loaf sliced with the remaining syrup.
500ml cooked bulgur wheat 250ml parsley, chopped 1 red onion, finely chopped 80ml chopped pickled cucumber 125ml roasted red peppers, chopped 250ml pomegranate seeds 80ml raisins Dressing: 60ml olive oil 60ml lemon juice 1 clove of garlic, minced 2,5ml granulated mustard 5ml sugar 2,5ml salt
Add the cooked bulgur wheat, parsley, onion, pickled cucumber, red peppers, pomegranate seeds and raisins to a large mixing bowl and toss together. Whisk the dressing ingredients together until amalgamated and drizzle over the salad.
60ml olive oil 1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained 150g – 200g aubergine, cubed 3 cloves of garlic, minced 5ml sumac lemon juice pomegranate seeds 8 – 10 small flatbreads, about 8cm diameter
Pour the olive oil in to a pan and set it over medium to medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas, aubergine cubes, garlic and sumac and cook for about 10 minutes, until the aubergine is soft. Take from the heat and roughly mash together so that you have mashed chickpeas with texture. Smear the mixture on to the flatbreads, drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle over some pomegranate seeds. Serve as a canapé with drinks.
1 x 375g puff pastry 45ml pomegranate seeds + extra to scatter over 125ml + 30ml icing sugar, sifted 250ml whipping cream 110g mascarpone 10ml rosewater
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and unroll the pastry. Cut into 16 rectangles, place on the baking sheet and prick the surface with a fork. Lay another sheet of baking paper over the pastry and place another baking tray on top. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack. Add the pomegranate seeds to a small bowl and muddle it with the back of a wooden spoon. Pour through a small sieve and reserve the juice. Add the 125ml icing sugar to the pomegranate juice and mix to a thick paste. If you need more liquid, add a few drops of water. Spoon the paste over 5 of the pastry rectangles and set aside. Add the cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk to soft peaks. Add the mascarpone, rosewater and 30ml icing sugar and whisk to stiff peaks. Place 5 pastry rectangles on a serving platter. Spread half the mascarpone mixture onto the pastry, place another piece of pastry on top and add the rest of the mascarpone on top. Now place the pastry with the icing sugar on top of each mille-feuille and scatter over some pomegranate seeds.
Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat and pour in 30ml of the olive oil. Add the onion and fry until translucent. Add the 2 cloves of garlic (minced) and tomato paste and stir-fry for one minute. Now add the carrots and potato and pour in the stock. Add 5ml smoked paprika, about half a teaspoon of salt and the lentils. Bring the soup to a boil, turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Take the soup from the heat and blitz with an immersion blender, until smooth. Pour the remaining 30ml oil, 1 clove of garlic (minced), 5ml smoked paprika, cumin and coriander to a pan and stir-fry over medium heat for 2 minutes. Taste the soup and season with salt and black pepper. Spoon the soup into bowls and drizzle over the flavoured oil. Serve with a lemon wedge.
3 egg whites 190ml caster sugar 7,5ml rose water rose petals
Preheat your oven to 120℃ and line two baking sheets with baking paper. Trace circles with an 8cm diameter on the baking paper and then flip the baking paper over on the tray. Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk the whites to soft peaks. Turn the mixer to high and start adding the sugar one tablespoon at a time and waiting for the sugar to be incorporated before adding the next spoonful. Whisk for 5 minutes or until you have a very stiff, glossy mixture. Drizzle over the rose water and fold in with a spatula. Spoon the meringue mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 5mm nozzle. Pipe the meringue on the inside perimeter of each circle. Now spread the meringue from the outside of the circle to its centre, forming an even disc. Bake in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn off the oven but do not open the door for another hour. Carefully remove the discs from the baking paper. Wet your finger, touch a rose petal and then stick the petal on the disc. Serve the meringue discs with a cup of mint tea or use as a decoration for a dessert.
Perde Pilavi is a traditional Turkish dish made of chicken and rice flavoured with nuts, fruit and spices and wrapped up in a delicious pastry, specked with flaked almonds.
Place the chicken in a large saucepan and pour in the stock. Cook on medium heat for an hour, until done. Remove the chicken from the stock and set aside to cool slightly. Reserve the stock. Place a large frying pan on medium-high heat, add the butter and wait for it to melt. Add the almonds and stir-fry until golden. Add the rice and cook for a minute or so, stirring all the while to coat in the butter. Now add the raisins, salt, a few grindings of black pepper, paprika and mint. Pour in 660ml of the reserved stock (add boiling water if you dont have enough), stir the mixture and cover with a lid. Turn the heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is almost cooked. Remove from the heat and set aside. Shred the chicken into strips and discard the bones and skin. Add the chicken to the rice mixture and stir through.
For the pastry: Preheat your oven to 180℃. Add the eggs, yoghurt, butter and vegetable oil to a bowl and whisk together. Set aside. Add the salt, flour and baking powder to a bowl and whisk through. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. Lightly knead the pastry to bring it together. Flour a work surface and roll the pastry to a 45cm diameter circle. It should be large enough to line the dish and have enough hanging over the sides to close around the filling. Spray a 18cm diameter x 8cm deep ceramic dish with cooking spray. Scatter the almonds on the bottom of the dish. Line the bottom and sides of the dish with the pastry, leaving the overhang. Spoon the cooled rice mixture into the pastry. Fold the overhang-pastry over the filling to enclose it completely – trim off any excess. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden. Take the dish from the oven and rest it for 15 minutes. Place a serving plate over the baking dish and invert it. Serve the pilavi with a crispy salad.
500g lamb mince 4 slices white bread, crusts removed 60ml milk 1 small onion, finely chopped 10ml chopped parsley 10ml chopped mint 2 cloves of garlic, minced 5ml salt 5ml ground cumin 5ml ground coriander 100g feta cheese, cubed (1,5cm x 1,5cm)
Sauce: 1 x 400g tin chopped tomato 5ml salt 10ml sugar 60ml cream
For the meatballs: Preheat your oven to 180℃. Place the minced meat in a large mixing bowl and break it up with your hands. Break up the bread, add it to the bowl and pour over the milk. Mix well. Now add the onion, parsley, mint, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt and a few good grindings of black pepper. Mix again. Scoop 30ml of the meat into your hands, form a ball and press it flat in your palm. Place a feta cube on the mince and bring the sides up and around it. Roll the mince ball between your hands to seal. Place the balls on an oven tray and keep going until you have no meat left. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil over the meatballs and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
For the sauce: Add the tomato, salt and sugar to a liquidiser and blitz until smooth. Pour the sauce into a saucepan set over medium-high heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the cream, stir through and add the meatballs. Simmer for a further 20 minutes. Serve the meatballs with rice or bulgar wheat.
My Whisk and I 