The Kitchen of Oz - A Food Blog » lime

Blackberry-Ginger Sorbet

Ozhan — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:12:25 +0000

If the word “blackberry” instantly reminds you of a hundred emails you cannot avoid, you are not the only one. It looks like this incredibly healthy fruit has its name snatched by a mobile device so badly that when you Google the word “blackberry” you end up with an information flood on various models of that device but nothing about blackberry as a fruit (I checked the first ten pages of search results and still there’s nothing about it –hard to believe-). Thus I decided to help this little shiny gem regain its esteem as one of the well known members of berry family with a recipe that will knock your socks off.

Even though most of us come across to widely available one called Evergreen, there are many types of blackberries like Himalaya, Silvan, Marion and Black Diamond. U.S. is the top grower but different types can be cultivated in Latin America and across Europe.

It is quite strong in terms of antioxidant content which is something we get used to read in one out of three articles related with health issues (sellers in the farmers market mentioned in my previous post named blackberry as “black doctor” on their price labels. That’s one of the most comprehensible and strong statement to convey benefits of a product I guess. Looks like farmers are quite knowledgeable in marketing too). I have also read that American Indian women ate them to prevent miscarriages in early days which is another interesting piece of information for me.

Blackberry as a bramble, fruits every other year so if you happen to find good ones eat them up like there is no tomorrow. How you are going to differentiate a good blackberry is quite easy, its color should be even and dark with a glossy look without any dents or bruises. There is only one thing to pay attention and personally I do not have any difficulty in that; to consume them right away since the taste is at its best for the first day. After three days you need to tell them goodbye even you kept refrigerated. But don’t get frustrated now I’ll tell you the way to make it last quite longer by making one of the most refreshing sorbets out of it.

This sorbet is the reminiscence of the last blackberries I found in this season. Well, I should admit that I want to avoid the upcoming autumn by making sorbets but soon I’ll adapt –I hope-. Combining the sweet-sorrow taste of blackberries with a vigorous and refreshing touch of ginger ended up with a superb association. If you are not really into it you may omit ginger for sure but as for me both blackberry and ginger found their soul mates in this recipe.

Ingredients (Makes approx. 1liter)

420 g (0,93 pound) fresh blackberries, washed and drained
120 g (4,2 oz.) sugar
230 ml. water
Juice of 1 lime
Finely grated fresh ginger in 5-6 hazelnut sized pieces
2½ teaspoons kirsch

Instructions

1.	Combine blackberries with sugar, water, and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor and run the machine until you end up with a purée.
2.	Add one piece of grated fresh ginger and the food processor for a few seconds then taste. Keep on adding and mixing each piece one by one and taste after each addition since you reach a well balanced mix in according to your taste. Be careful with the ginger since it has a strong flavor and we do not want to surpass the taste of blackberries in the first place. Ginger should not be the dominant flavor in the final combination. That’s the reason I recommend to make ginger addition gradually.
3.	Filter the final combination through a strainer to remove the seeds and other pieces.
4.	Chill the mixture in your refrigerator and then freeze it by using your ice cream maker by following the instructions provided in the user manual. Transfer sorbet to an airtight container and place in your deep freezer to serve later.

Summer Fizz with Fruits

Ozhan — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:12:18 +0000

Nowadays there is only one song keeps playing in my head and it is none other than “Too darn hot!” by beloved Ella. It’s hot everywhere and we are desperately travelling from one room to another just for the sake of a little air flow coming from an open window. Wherever we go it’s just too hot, living room is hot, bedroom is hot, kitchen is “oh my god it cannot be that hot”. Even writing these lines down makes me sweat. The humidity’s more than 90 percent making you feel like your hands are sticky as if you ate honey by your fingers.

Taking these extraordinary conditions into account no one should expect me to get in the kitchen and prepare anything hot, right? Our oven which is used to work almost every day seems like a secret passage to hell and its cover shall not be opened under any circumstances.

When wandering among different rooms at home does not pay off, our second option is to pass to the balcony which might offer some wind for a quick relief. I love spending time here among colorful flowers, fresh herbs and candles.

You can also create your very own small garden even you live in an apartment. It is a matter of deciding on your priorities. I hate the case when people are using their balconies as a storage area where they keep all the useless stuff that they could not throw away. Don’t you think we deserve an airy and peaceful space more than our cleaning supplies and plastic buckets do?

With a little effort you are able to build up a small heaven full of peace and tranquility. All you need is a few shelves to raise your garden on the wall, nice flowerpots, woven baskets, candles, seeds of your favorite herbs and flowers (you should also consider weather, light, and wind conditions in your balcony while choosing the appropriate plants, there are lots of books and sources on the web to gain such sort of information).

If you already have such a place of your own to escape on a hot summer day, this summer fizz will make your day even cooler with a twist of Cointreau and a few pieces of peach and plum.

Preparing this fizz will take just five minutes so you do not have to spend too much time in the kitchen and sweat again. Just make sure you have some accompany to prepare drinks for the second round cause it’s too darn hot!

Ingredients (makes 1 serving)

50 ml (1,70 fl. oz.) Cointreau
40 ml (1,35 fl. oz.) sparkling mineral water
15 ml (0,5 fl. oz.) cranberry syrup
15 ml (0,5 fl. oz.) lime juice
A nectarine and a plum

Instructions

1.	Thinly slice a plum and a nectarin. Place a few slices of each in a champagne flute.
2.	Add Cointreau, cranberry syrup, lime juice in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously.
3.	Strain the mixture into the glass and fill the rest with ice cold sparkling mineral water. Serve immediately.

Fishballs with Fresh Tarragon

Ozhan — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:03:24 +0000

When I came across the anchovies at our fishmonger’s in the neighborhood last week I remember the day when I first saw this small fish on our kitchen counter. Being so naïve as a little boy I thought that these small fishes were just for the kids not for grownups. Even though sharing them with other family members made me a little blue because of this assumption, I can still recall the salty sea flavor and crispy texture I liked at that time.

Anchovy (known as Hamsi in Turkey) is also popular among other predator fishes and marine mammals as well as humans. In other words everybody loves anchovy, in a wild way though. These little shiny sea dwellers can be found mostly in North America, Mediterranean and Europe. They prefer mild waters and do not like very cold or very warm like my retired father who always complains about the weather conditions. In northern coasts of Turkey, anchovies are so abundant that they are the basic ingredient for most of the local recipes. Besides fried, stewed or brined versions, there is also anchovy soup, anchovy rice, anchovy filled pastry and -I am not sure whether it is an urban legend or not- but even an anchovy dessert.

Even though for many people anchovy is just an ingredient for pizza topping, anchovy paste is widely used in many other recipes like a secret element. Remoulade and Worcestershire Sauce are two examples for such a confidential affair. Although it is difficult to recognize by our taste buds, a very small amount elevates the overall taste with a delightful effect.

Generally anchovies can be found in cans and salt-preserved forms. You can also find them as a paste, but due to applied curing process, they have a stronger taste. Among all available forms, I believe fresh, unprocessed anchovy is at its best. However, due to its high perishability, it is not easy to find. I feel so lucky since fresh anchovy is easy to find in Istanbul till the end of March!

If you do find fresh anchovies in your neighborhood, you have to make sure that they are really fresh. It is easy to understand by your nose; anchovies begin to smell slightly different even at the very early stage of going bad. No need to mention that they should have bright eyes, too.

Right after the fisherman handed over my fresh and cleaned little anchovy fillets, I grew impatient to prepare tasty fishballs out of them. This is a well known local recipe from the Black Sea cuisine that I discovered thanks to my beloved mother in law. While adapting the recipe I wanted to add a bit of tarragon with a sweet, anise like bouquet to balance the strong flavor of scallion. Another suggestion of mine is to serve them along with lime slices and squeeze them on fishballs while you eat. Result was so fascinating that I ended up devouring all the fishballs in the picture before I finish the photo shoot for different angles I planned. Do I regret for that? Absolutely not!

Ingredients (makes 6-8 servings)

600g ( 1 ½ pounds) anchovy fillets
100g (3.53 oz) corn flour
1 large egg
160g (5.64 oz) scallion, chopped
160g (5.64 oz) parsley, chopped
20g (0.7 oz) fresh tarragon
Freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt
Vegetable oil (for frying)

Instructions

1.	Add anchovy fillets, egg and corn flour in a large mixing bowl and start kneading by your hand until the fillets fall into pieces.
2.	Gradually add chopped scallion, parsley and fresh tarragon and keep on kneading.
3.	Season with salt and pepper and keep on kneading until all the ingredients blend very well to gain dough like texture.
4.	Take a small piece of mixture to form a ball with 4cm (around 1.5 inches) diameter by rolling in your palms and repeat the same for the rest.
5.	Add vegetable oil in a small saucepan and place on high heat.
6.	When oil is hot enough for frying (you can test it with a fishball; when you immerse half of it in the oil it should start sizzling) add a group of fishballs and take them out quickly when they are fried. When a fishball is fried a crispy outer shell is formed and it gains a darker color.
7.	Serve immediately along with baby arugula leaves and lime slices.

Blue Crash Cocktail

Ozhan — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:22:25 +0000

Sometimes it is difficult to take a decision particularly if the result of it has a potential to change our life in some aspects or the other. We may never know what is waiting behind the door and it is distressing to find the courage to open out that door. One of my friends gathered all the strength and fortitude to make a change and wide opened the door to figure out what was waiting outside.

He left his job in the times we live in; I mean the time of financial recessions and a universal depression that holding most of us back. He decided to do the things he like such as meditating, photograph taking and working as a free lance space visualization software developer (I know it sounds rather complex but let me put it in this way; he writes specific software to create a virtual 3D version of any place on the computer, like your house, or a huge seaport with tremendous warehouses all around) for only the projects he wanted to take part. No strict deadlines, no pressure from a superior and consequently a stress-free life. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth (wish he were, so we could say it was easy for him), which means from now on he set out on a new way of life with earning less, buying less and consuming less. His girlfriend also followed the same path and left her job at almost the same time to attend intensive yoga trainings and bought the acoustic piano she dreamed of for long, probably it cost her half of the termination indemnity she got from the company.

For most of the people outside, these are insane actions that should never be taken but you may never know who comes out saner in the end. For those who do not have the guts to take such soul calming maneuvers, here is my new cocktail recipe to relax your mind and soothe your senses. This mind blowing drink contains a simple but a zestful ingredient that one of my beloved friends made me addicted to it; fig vodka. There might be different brands in the market with the similar taste but the one we love is a German brand; Kleiner Feigling (translates to “little coward” by the way). This is an easy drinking spirit due to its 20% alcohol percentage with a mellow, surprisingly not too sweet unique flavor. You may prefer to take it straight or on ice but it also embraced a little bit of blue curaçao very well in my Blue Crash.

Keep all your big issues aside, after a few glasses of Blue Crash you may like the life you are living even if you cannot live the life you like.

Ingredients (for single serving)

40 ml (1,36 fl.oz) fig vodka
10 ml (0,34 fl.oz) blue curaçao syrup
5 ml (0,17 fl.oz) lime juice
50 ml (1,7 fl.oz) tonic water
Ice

Instructions

1.	Leave martini glasses to chill in your refrigerator’s deep freezing section 10 minutes before you start preparing the cocktail mix.
2.	Combine fig vodka, curaçao syrup, lime juice and tonic water in a shaker with ice cubes inside.(add ices after you poured all other ingredients so that they would not melt into water in your drink) Shake well.
3.	Drain the cocktail mix into one of a chilled martini glasses you prepared before.
4.	Add some more ice and serve immediately.