Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

It has been some time, I could not find the time and energy to write anything here mostly due to my daily (and nowadays nightly for the sake of a new project) job sucking my energy like an odd looking vampire coming out of horrible Twilight series without any romance attached to it (no offense, if this is the movie of your life). I had to recharge my batteries within a short break so that I could come up with brand new delicious stories for your pleasure and your taste buds (I really care about you, don’t I). Some of you may wonder what I have done during this break; soon I will tell you the delicious details of it, especially about my trip to the capital of culinary. But before that, I wanted to talk about a surprising coincidence happened recently.

Rhubarb

Personally I find it very interesting the sweet-sorrow taste of rhubarb but I have never came across with rhubarb in Istanbul since it is not known and consumed at all here. I was always looking for this strange looking fruit (I doubt whether it is a fruit or vegetable but anyhow) in different market places but even farmers were not familiar with it. So I lost all my hopes on pairing up the strawberry-rhubarb couple in my kitchen.

I was out of the office in the afternoon and suddenly realized a man behind a portable stall across the street which is not common since it is the busiest street in Istanbul. Guess what? His stall was full of rhubarb stalks made my eyes popped, I said “I must have been dreaming or he must be selling some magically grown gigantic asparagus” but no, they were all real, fresh rhubarbs lying in front of me. I rushed to buy my stalks and could not be happier that day with my bag full of them. The seller guy could not understand my overreaction and even surprised that I was familiar with the plant since It is only known in some eastern areas. There, mothers dip this fresh stalk in sugar and give it to their kids like a pacifier which is a good idea considering the rich amount of water it contains.

Rhubarb is an interesting plant with toxic leaves and conversely a stalk that is used for medical purposes (especially in traditional Chinese medicine). Its color changes from leafy green to rose-red. Generally it has a quite sorrow taste so most of the cases it is cooked with sugar or some other sweet fruits. Rhubarb is also known as “pie plant” since it is widely used in pies, tarts and crumbles. If not produced in a greenhouse, rhubarb is available for a short period of time before summer. In some areas rhubarb is accepted as the forerunner of spring. Stalks are ready to be consumed as soon as they are harvested and they should be firm and crunchy when they are fresh.

No need to mention that I run into the kitchen to prepare a strawberry-rhubarb crumble like the one I ate long before. This was a meant-to-be-together couple and I felt really lucky to bring them together for such a sweet purpose. I realized one more time that life is full of surprises each and every day. Sometimes we find the most unexpected things right by our side and our eyes should be wide open not to miss them when we are close.

Ingredients (makes 8 servings)
For the topping

• 100 g (3,5 oz) melted butter
• 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 90 g (3,2 oz) brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

For the filling

• 4 cups strawberries (hulled and quartered)
• 1 ½ cups trimmed rhubarb, sliced into ¾ inch pieces
• 60 g (2 oz) sugar
• 3 tablespoon cornstarch
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Instructions

As most of the good things tend to end unexpectedly, mild and spring like weather in Istanbul ran away from the city all of a sudden and left a freezing cold and lots of snow in its place. Just a week before we were enjoying long strolls along the coastline and in the twinkle of an eye we found ourselves hardly going out of homes even for a grocery shopping in the neighbourhood. Such desperate times require desperate measures, such as buying new DVD’s, taking your blanket out of the closet, refilling your corn kernel reserves to make fresh popcorn, and for sure having a bowl of hot soup that will warm you from inside.

I like eating almost all kind of soup as a starter, however when I feel really cold I eat the first bowl as a starter whereas the second bowl makes my main dish. A hot and tasty soup embraces various feelings like tenderness of your mom when you are sick or the nearness of a companion in a cold winter day making you feel warm.

All these in my mind, I wanted to make a soup to enjoy while watching the snow covering all over the place as if everything on the street like cars, trees, and apartments were dusted with confectioner’s sugar. No one on earth could take me out of my house for shopping so I need to make the soup of the day with the ingredients in hand. Considering the situation, I was ready to go experimental and to try something like a red Mexican bean soup with fresh herbs and chili powder. Then I realized the bowl on the refrigerator’s rack full of pumpkin slices waiting for my better half to make a traditional pumpkin dessert out of them which feature another post in the coming weeks by the way.

Pumpkin is also one of these “all purpose” stuff from which you can make savory foods, desserts, tart fillings, garnishes and so on. Even the seed of this great colored Halloween icon, also known as pepita, is a popular snack. Interesting thing is that unlike most of the other snacks, pumpkin seeds are full of fatty acids that are beneficial to maintain healthy blood vessels and nerves. So, do not feel guilty if you cannot stop yourself cracking a handful of these seeds while watching your favorite TV show.

This heart-warming and healthy soup I prepared became one of my mellow recipes for this winter. Its enriched flavor with a touch of roasted mustard and coriander seeds along with grated nutmeg will make your day in a snowy winter afternoon. Taking the widespread winter laziness into account, using a large bowl to decrease the number of refill trips to the kitchen is highly recommended. Enjoy!

Ingredients (makes 8 servings)

• 650 g (22.9 oz) chopped pumpkin (very hard outer parts should be taken out by a knife at first, watch your fingers while doing that)
• 160 g (5.6 oz) onion, finely diced
• 100g (3.5 oz) carrot, chopped
• 150g (5.3 oz) potato, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup milk
• 4 ½ cups water
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Sea salt

Instructions