Quince, chestnuts and labneh

happily married for Christmas

Hello, welcome again to my newsletter COOKING THE MED exploring celebrating the Mediterranean, no boundaries. If you are new here, welcome welcome!
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In real life i’m celebrating my food in seasonal popups called Café Mazahar, you will notice the logo on this page.

It’s gloomy here, no sun since 10 days, but the last thing i want is to give in to gloomy feelings (enough of that in the world right now). The good thing: my new kitchen is a cure. It’s bright, always sunny (sure, with lights on) and very practical, just how i want my kitchen to be.

Life is full of cooking these days. And of course i cooked up a pre-Christmas dinner, for you and me to enjoy next week (or whenever these days). It is non fussy, does’t take you hours, not too much to prep (i wrote all down in PREP and SERVE, so you will know exactly what to do) and it’s really comforting. With of course FLAVOUR in capital: exiting fuss free comfort food that doesn’t take ages is what my soul needs, and i ‘m guessing yours too. So let’s get started!

MENU

Soft serve special labneh with a herby chili oil and crisps on the side

Silky beetroot lemon soup with pekmez roasted grapes, a green cream with cardamom & sumac and a crunch of pistachio and hemp seed.

Salad of pickled fennel and yellow beet and green herbs with a tangy dressing

Slow stew of rabbit with poached quince, sage and a pistachio pekmez dressing

Side of roasted Jerusalem artichoke, green pumpkin, chestnuts and kaymak

Sesame tartelettes with plum & bramble, served with cream or a great cheat cardamom ice cream.

There are some things to say about this menu, there is a little theme. It came by itself and it’s not very outspoken, but it is there: a little Turkish tzing. Combined with Italy and the Mediterranean because apparently that’s somehow me in the kitchen. But let me explain you why the Turkish vibe.

1. I live in a neighbourhood with lots of food culture, with Turkish grocers and butchers: so much to discover and source of inspiration. These days I say kaymak and kestana (chestnuts): more on those two delicacies below!

2. Another good side of these food cultures is their endless generosity: my Turkish neighbour gives me plates of food from time to time: like those stuffed paprika dolma. Isn’t that too sweet.

   

3. I’m into Özlem Warren’s new book Sebze these days. I love how she genuinly shows the delicious vegetarian dishes of the Turkish cuisine. It reminds me a lot of all the beautiful rural dishes i discovered while researching the Lebanese kitchen for the Bible of the Lebanese Kitchen. Also the genuine foodstyling and the whole authentic look of the book, love it. And the illustrations! It is like a little trip into a beautiful side of Turkey.

   

   

4. And lastly my current couch obsession ( Anaroz (9) says i should say ‘upzes’, rolling dramatically with her eyes) which is Another Self, a Netflix series. About 3 Turkish (secular) women played by absolutely fantastic Turkish actresses, navigating through modern life, with the help of family constellations. Powerful and addictive, it’s showing the great female force, and the power to heal from our past. And it’s showing a side of Turkey lesser known here which i think is very needed. Plus of course a great deal of sunshine, beautiful landscapes and delicious Turkish food, like sarma/dolma of courgette flowers, also found in Özlem’s book! I want to go there right now. But alas, for now it’s only flavours, books and series.

Of course there is labneh as a first course, hell yes (if you know me). This time dedicated to the people of Bethlehem, where Christmas was born. Another time i will take you to Fadi Kattan’s Bethlehem book, also an outstanding food culture trip.

I made a similar labneh style for delicious. magazine ‘s Christmas issue, like a savoury soft serve, to be scooped with crispy flatbread, crackers or savoury biscuits. This time i added a special ingredient inside the labneh (you can guess or scroll down), plus a delicious. herby chili oil on top and a sprinkle of sumac. Incredibly easy with a great wow effect, a really refreshing start of the dinner. I would pair it with a great cocktail or mocktail, something botanical.

Second course: this rich and festive beetroot soup i developed for delicious magazine, featured in the pre Christmas issue, and the recipe is already on the website (please drop me a note if you want the recipe in English). There is few elements, the soup, the grapes, the cream the crunch, all easy to prep before hand.

credit: fotografie Chantal Arnts, foodstyling Julie Teeken, stying Laura Vijselaar

Third course: the salad. Because it’s so nice and fresh in between and it helps digestion to eat a generous amount of crispy herby greens. I like my salads to be very extra fresh and flavourful. That’s why there is a quick pickle in here for extra crunch and tartness. This is real winner, and you prep in advance (very little prep) and on the spot you combine for the ultra crisp experience. A great foreplay to the main.

The Main: rabbit. Yes, let’s not think too much about the animal behind it, but then again the same goes for lamb meat isn’t it and actually all meat. I don’t think there is any animal that deserves less pity than another (same goes for humans by the way, needless to say these days?). But if game is too much for your game, i would certainly say try rabbit. Somewhere in between poultry and game in taste, nice and nutty but not too harsh like e.g. wild boar meat or other types of game. And it’s an easy stew that doesn’t need hours. Perfect with slighly sweet quince, sage and a drizzle of pistachio and grape pekmez.

Side dish: roasted Japanse kabocha pumpkin, Jerusalem artichoke, chestnuts topped with thick dollops of kaymak.

It cannot be more simple than this: the sweet nutty pumpkin, the earthy sweet Jerusalem artichoke and chestnuts: just perfect to match the rabbit.

ABOUT KAYMAK & KESTANA
I spooned thick dollops of kaymak on top, the white stuff you see here. Kaymak: the Turkish (and Balkan) answer to clotted cream or mascarpone/ricotta. But i think it has it’s own charm. Raw milk is boiled slowly and simmers for some hours on a very low heat. The milk is skimmed and ferments mildly for some hours. It’s thick, creamy like never before, with a fat percentage of 60% (!). And because of the mild fermentation the flavour can be slightly acidic, just a hint, but that makes it so great for savoury dishes too. Usually in Turkey it’s being used for sweets. This Katunski kaymak, i found it in my Turkish supermarket, is a Bosnian brand. A lot of industrial kaymak is pasteurised and has a different flavour. But this one is just close to being artisanal. They added a bit of salt, which works with the tart creaminess and is great for savoury dishes. In my spontaneous kaymak quest i stumbled upon another one in my other favourite Turkish supermarket
(though they told me this version is a rarity here). Doesn’t it look like a cozy folded blanket? My god this stuff is spectacular: think clotted cream meets sweet whipped butter cream. But there is sugar, so i wouldn’t use this one for the recipe below. But i would use it for anything sweet, maybe just on top of roasted fruit, with some cinnamon and toasted nuts.
If you are not living close to any kaymak, substitute with mascarpone with some added salt or sugar (depending on).

The kestana kebap are cooked or roasted chestnuts the Turkish call chestnut kebab, love that name! They are just cooked soft chestnuts, super nutty and flavourful. I absolutely love them. I have been adding cooked or roasted chestnuts to a lot of things lately (risotto with cavolo nero and chestnuts!). Sometimes i just roast fresh chestnuts on a roasting tray on my stove. But these packaged ones are so easy and softer in texture. Chestnuts paired with earthy vegetables deliver a total Christmassy side dish.

TIME FOR DESSERT
I love desserts that are fuss free (I like everything to be fuss free really, why do things complicated when there is no need). These tartelettes have a thick jam of bramble and plum and some spices. I make them beforehand and i just pop them into the oven again before serving. Here there is some cream but i’m planning to serve it with a quick fix cardamon icecream: i just buy the best vanilla ice cream at the best ice cream parlour close to me, leave it out of the freezer for half an hour until slightly soft and stir in some cardamom powder and lemon zest. Freeze again and done. Serve on top or tucked against the warm pastries.

———— RECIPES ————

All the recipes together for you to work smoothly. Divided into prepping and finishing. The labneh is for everyone.

LABNEH SOFT SERVE WITH SPICY GREEN CHILI OIL

INGREDIENTS
1 kg of Greek yoghurt
1 tsp of salt
50 g of sesame
1 tsp of neutral oil
5 sprigs of parsley
zest of 1/2 lemon
chili flakes
150 ml of a great olive oil
sumac
Lebanese flatbread or your choice of crackers

PREP
1. Add the yoghurt to a cheese cloth or clean kitchen towel and add the salt. It should taste quite salty so you are free to add a pinch more. Leave to drain for some hours, until you have a thick creamy labneh. Keep in fridge until serving.

2. Roast the sesame seeds in a drop of oil until crispy golden. Leave to cool and store.

3. Chop the parsely and mix finely with a mixer with the lemon zest, the olive oil, 1 tsp of water, some salt and chili flakes to taste ( i like to add a lot, it will pair so well with the creaminess). You should have a really nice green oil.

SERVE
1. Just before serving mix in the sesame into the labneh (you can keep some to sprinkle after, which i forgot!) and add the mixture to a piping bag with a nozzle. Use nice bowls or champagne glasses and make nice mountains of soft serves.

2. Sprinkle generously with the green spice oil and finish with more sesame and some sumac. Roast some strips of flatbread (i cut them with scissors) lightly golden and serve next to it. Or use your favorite (glutenfree/carb free) crackers. I also like to give a spoon with it.