Zeytinyağlı Yaprak Dolmasi. Grape leaves stuffed with rice, spices, tomato, currants and cranberries.
Pesto Eggs
I had it in my head that we were going for brunch Saturday morning. Plans changed, but my heart was really set on some good brunchy eggs.
To be honest, I was set on some Eggs Benedict, but I wasn’t prepared to try making those for the first time on a whim. I am not a patient girl first thing in the morning. I needed something I could throw together fast, something that would satisfy my eggy craving.
I started cooking before I really knew what I was making.
I had eggs, a bit of fresh pesto left from dinner, some delicious tomatoes… and then I had an idea. I could fry up some eggs and dress them up a little. It was quick and easy, but it tasted fancy. On top of the fried eggs, I drizzled a sauce made up of the pesto thinned out with yogurt (real yogurt – none of that low fat stuff), lined up some grilled halved tomatoes topped with melted cheese, and topped each of the tomatoes with a wee bit of the pesto.
It was just what I needed! (Then we went for bennies the next day – Ha!)
🙂
Happy Long Weekend, to those of you who have one this weekend. Hope it is filled with delicious brunches!
Cheese with the Hair of an Angel : Turkish Food Log Pt. 2
For the second installment of my Turkish Food Log, I’m exploring the world of cheeses, and finding a connection back home.
Continue reading Cheese with the Hair of an Angel : Turkish Food Log Pt. 2
It’s all in the Lime – Qormeh Sabzi
Qormeh Sabzi (also written as Ghormeh Sabzi) is thought to possibly be the national dish of Iran, and after just one bite I could understand why.
Although made up mostly of an assortment of fresh herbs, there is no doubt that the real stars of the show are the Persian dried limes, leemoo-amonee (or “Limu-omani”). They aren’t exciting to look at, in fact you might find them kind of ugly (J thought they looked dusty), but they add the most amazing flavour to the dish that I’m sure can’t be replicated. I was lucky enough to find some at Akram’s, in Kensington Market.
Kensington Market is also a great place to find lots of fresh herbs at a decent price. I bought almost all of the herbs I needed there.
How to describe Qormeh Sabzi? It’s a rich, dark green stew made up of lots of herbs, kidney beans, lamb and the leemoo-amonee. It’s kind of hard to describe how the herbs taste in it, because it’s very different from using fresh herbs to a dish – it’s more like when you cook with leafy greens, like spinach. The dried lime doesn’t make the stew incredibly sour – because they are whole, and dried, a mellow lime flavour comes out. That is, unless you press the liquids out of the lime after cooking – this will intensify the lime flavour, and is sometimes best done in your own dish, if you are serving a group.
If you want to live on the edge, you can even eat the lime. I like to eat the outer parts – they are very strong, and a little bitter, but so much fun!
The lamb is actually a pretty important part, and this time around I opted to go without it. I haven’t cooked meat in about 15 years, and this is the first dish that has made me want to change that. Anyone that has had lamb knows that it has a strong flavour – this is why I like it, and why others don’t. That’s why, for me, it really is important in Qormeh Sabzi. My version of the dish was missing that aspect of the flavour. Other people make it with beef instead, which would make it taste a little bit different (good for folks who don’t like lamb).
Not the prettiest picture, but soooo delicious.
If you haven’t had Persian food before, you are missing out!! So was I, until earlier this year. If you like complex flavours, stews, interesting ingredients, you should definitely try this. People who like Indian food will probably like this — sure, there are lots of differences (for one, Persian food is not nearly as spicy hot!), but there are some similarities as well (basmati rice, stews, legumes).
People in Toronto should try Pomegranate restaurant, on College St. near Bathurst. It’s usually busy, so be sure to make reservations!! You won’t regret it!