STIR THE POTS

Mehmet Gürs

Matt Lauer's series of travel adventures is where I first heard of Mehmet Gürs. Both his  Turkish and Finnish background caught my interest as well as his knowledge of Turkish cuisine. In my own neighborhood we have a large Turkish community, we can get just a sampling of some of the diverse ingredients, like yufka,pomegranate molasses. Or buy the bulgar to make pilaf which make up a small part of the Turkish kitchen repertoire.

Istanbul is the point where east meets west in a geographical sense, but in the culinary terms it's the city that blends many different cultures including Mehmet Gür's take on Turkish food by blending Finnish smoke with Turkish flavor,or as he says fusion without confusion. In his restaurants he incorporates the spices and staples of the bazaar, the Anatolian interior, and then combines it with  Finnish austerity  to stir the pot in Istanbul's growing culinary restaurant world.

From the Topkapi kitchens of the Ottoman sultans, Turkey has a rich history in food, from previous rulers and empires it has absorbed as well as spread it's cuisine across the world  bringing a unique flavor to the table. Mehmet has been described as the Jamie Oliver of Turkey, with his own  TV food shows in Turkey. He also wrote a book,(Downtown Cook Book) and is currently writing another, named after his restaurant Mikla. It will be published in both English and Turkish, if you can't wait take a listen.

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BBQ

 

Usually  I would make some overtly political message regarding Memorial day.Not just that I am a veteran, but it's an election year.  Rather then blow a lot of hot air, I say thanks to the women and men deployed around the world away from family and friends enjoying the beginning of summer at home.Not forgetting  those times when I was stationed overseas and I would of rather been at home.

Thanks for your service.

As is tradition every year we head out to my mom's in Connecticut for some grilled food and lots of side dishes, this year was no exception, we had friends and family and I cooked not only the food but the top of my head in the sun! Not so bad, I had cool beer and utensils at my side along with my camera for some food porn.

My meats were purchased at no other than the fabulous Sunnyside meat market from my friend Jonel,(aka Johnny) who lately has got some press in the NY Times!

Fruits de mer with Romesco sauce

Pork kebabs, sausages

 

 

Mango salsa

Smokin pork ribs

Corn on the cob

Jerk Chicken and grilled duck breast

Grilled cranberry marinated duck breast

Grilled black sea bass

Afterwards a walk on the jetty by the shore, we spied a furry little critter and a very intent admirer.

 

Skating away

Most Sundays if I am lucky I get to watch my foodie shows on PBS. My favorite being that of the roving food reporter Mike Colameco, who to this date hasn’t stopped in for a chat on this blog, but he promises as soon as he isn’t so tied up with his show. This last episode  featured Donatella Arpaia and Chef Michael Psialkis from Anthos whose Greek menu inspired the dish I loosely based on what Michael cooked for  Colameco's segment where he makes a dish on the episode..
Michael’s fish was Loup de mer, (a Mediterranean bass.) The ingredients included potatoes, tomatoes, herbs, lemon, olives, (which I completely forgot in my version!); olive oil, garlic confit, onions and I added arugula and herb salad in mine.

Roasted skate with potatoes,tomato and herb salad

Serves 2 to 3

1 Skate wing (have your fish monger peel and de-bone it, unless you like it on the bone?)

4 yukon gold potatoes, cut into quarters 

2  tomatoes, cut into square chunks

3-4 pcs. of garlic confit

2 branches oregano or herbes de Provençe

A bunch of mixed herbs, Italian parsley, dill, cilantro and arugula

2 lemons, cut in half for juice

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste cracked coriander seeds

Cooking:

In a hot pan, (I use my proletariat cast iron) add in about 1 tablespoons oil, toss in the potatoes. Give them some color add in the tomatoes and garlic confit, cover with a lid but continue to swirl the pan. Squeeze some lemon juice, season and add in the herbes de Provençe then cover. When the potatoes are pricked with a knife and start to feel tender, turn off the heat and set them aside. In a non stick pan, heat another tablespoon of oil. Season your skate wings on both sides with salt and pepper. When your pan is hot brown the first side for about 3 minutes till golden, turn it over and finish on the other-side till firm. The herbs and arugula are mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, seasoned with salt, pepper, and coriander seeds.

Plating: Place the finished vegetables on the bottom of the plate, cover with the fish and finish with the herbs on top. Enjoy, we did!

Red red wine, you make me feel so fine!

I could not describe myself as a wine expert. In truth, beer is my preferred beverage. But wine comes in a close second. And though I don't read Wine Spectator, I do like picking wines sometimes just by remembering regions,labels, the grape variety and what I have  tried before. And I did enjoy the movie about wine and love, Sideways.

Yes. I like wine.  Its red color. The bouquet. The way the legs linger on the side of the glass, and especially the way people describe the way it tastes. I have heard people describe some wines of having a taste of  leather. And one of my former chefs once left his wine tasting notes on the pass. Reading the notations about a certain Alsatian wine, I remember he described it as having "the taste of ashtray!" Undoubtedly he must have picked up a glass with someone’s cigarette floating at the bottom leaving a sort of ash taste.  Luckily, I have yet to experience such flavors.

Red wine is definitely my favorite, though I can't say I would kick out a bottle of white either. For that matter nor would I snub  a rose. I don't discriminate.One of my latest and favorite findings comes from my brother, Philippe. He is my wine guide and guru. A chef at the Home Ranch a Relais Chateaux property in Clark Colorado, he sets up their wine list, and I hope to get him on board for some tips and advice on matching food with wine. Stay tuned. 

On his last visit he came over for an impromptu dinner of lamb chops with orzo and something else. Honestly, I don't quite recall the rest of the meal, because for me, the wine Philippe brought became the dinner's center point. An Owen Roe, Abbots Tale. The lamb was great but as we ate, I just swilled and took in the full body of this incredible wine. Philippe told me that the wine maker David O'Reilly had been out to the ranch for some tastings and Philippe told me to try his other notable wines, Severed Hand and Sharecroppers. Now, every wine shop I hit, I ask if they have Owen Roe because it is so dammed enjoyable to drink. Sure its price could hold you back, but once the cork is off the bottle the genie has done it's magic! The fruit taste, the balance of flavor and alcohol are so... hmmm, right there! Just one thing. Before you pour, make sure your glass is clean when you drink it. 

 

Vincent the baker

Every so often perusing the net I stumble on to a cool baking site that I forget to bookmark for a later look. Recently though my friend David Aplin was showing off his really awesome spelt loaf, cut like a pro, clearly a work of love!  When queried by Susan, the other incredible baker from Wild Yeast, David divulged that he had borrowed the idea from another baker, Vincent Talleu, who he said was making some awesome bread. I quickly copied and pasted the link David provided which took me to his photo album of gloriously displayed  loaves of bread.

Vincent's photo's are a veritable story of a baker in love with his craft. His breads are featured along with various pictures of his baking school days, as well as home baking with his girlfriend. For me, every loaf is an inspiration. As are his Youtube videos, in which he and his work mates (covered in flour) wield peels laden with dough shapes  ready to become crusty loaves

Vincent even gives instruction on how to slash a loaf of bread before putting it into the heat of an oven. His dexterity is made obvious as he slashes baguette's, making it look so easy. Then there is his method for folding, cutting and finishing the now infamous ciabatta.  Simple yet precise, it is really instructional as well as just fun to watch, "init?"

One other note of interest that caught my attention was Jean-Baptiste Talleu, Vincent’s brother who disappeared in India while on a world cycling tour. It reminded me of my own brother and me, also avid cyclists. Here's hoping for the best for Vincent and his family for a safe return of his brother. Vincent was kind enough to respond to my e-mail about his album of bread, which is at the heart of the baker, to share.

Merci Vincent!

David Aplin

Though I haven't yet met David Aplin, what connects us is the mutual devotion to baking bread. He and his wife  Camelia are bakers in Toronto whose micro bakery stands in their backyard. Once a month they stoke wood in the stone oven that David and his brother built and bake batches of bread. Their core customer base is increasing, helped by publicity from  local radio.

The blog Cliffsidebakery is a testament to the intrepid nature of their venture. David works all day baking at his job in a grocery store, then returns home to do the same thing. It sort of reminds me of my own obsession with food and baking. Needless to say, in our interview we talk about bread; the lack of rye bread on bakers shelves and how to promote this wonderful grain, how he managed to cross into Canada with some levain from Jeffrey Hamelman's class in Vermont, and even a story about Iggy Pop our mutual idol.

 

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