Ćevapi

Last summer while traveling through Bosnia & Herzegovina, I ordered more than my fair share of ćevapi.  These delicious sausages are filled with ground beef and lamb, and they're traditionally served with chopped onions and kaymak over pita.  It has taken me almost a year to create my own version of this delicious dish, but it's finally here.    

I've never been a big fan of raw onions, so I made mine with some sweet, caramelized onions and topped them with sour cream.  Since traveling to Istanbul in 2012, I look for kaymak at all international food markets, but my success has been minimal.

This dish is a great one for grilling--perfect for summer.  We actually have a Balkan Bistro in Charlottesville, but I haven't had ćevapi quite as good as the dishes I had in Sarajevo's Baščaršija.  

For some tunes, here's the Dead Boys' "Caught with the Meat in Your Mouth." Don't worry--I know what they're actually singing about.  But what better way to introduce you to this late 1970s Cleveland punk band?

Ingredients:

--1/2 lb. ground lamb

--1/2 lb. ground beef

--1 clove garlic, finely minced

--1/2 c. freshly made breadcrumbs

--1/2 c. half & half

--2 eggs

--2 tsp. paprika

--1-2 tsp. s&p, depending on taste

--2 large yellow onions, julienned

--1 tsp. granulated sugar

--4 tbsp. unsalted butter

For the meat:

Mix together lamb, beef, garlic, breadcrumbs, half & half, eggs, paprika, and s&p.  Mix *just* enough to combine--don't overmix or the meat will be tough.  

Shape into 3-inch sausages, and grill until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.  You'll have to flip/turn them once or twice to get all sides grilled.  (These are delicious on a grill, but you can also pan-fry them with some olive oil.)

For the caramelized onions:

Heat 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat in a saute pan.  Once the butter has melted, add the onions and continue to cook over low-medium heat.  Add another tbsp. of butter, and continue to stir frequently.  Continue to add remaining butter as the onions soak it in.  After cooking for approx. 10 minutes, add 1 tsp. granulated sugar to speed the caramelization process, and reduce heat to a simmer.  Continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.  All in all, cook for approx. 20-25 minutes.  The onions will be very soft and will have turned a very lovely shade of sepia.

Serve the ćevapi with the caramelized onions, sour cream, and warm pita.

Tufahije

After a nearly month-long trip through Western Europe, the Balkans, and a final stop in Hungary, I've returned to America.  First order of business: a Bosnian dessert, prepared in my Virginia kitchen.

Tufahije is a classic Bosnian treat.  It's a roasted apple stuffed with a sweet walnut and hazelnut filling, often served chilled.  On a very hot July day in Sarajevo, I tried this for the first time at Ramis slastičarna, or sweet shop, on Ferhadija.  In the summer heat, the cooled apple and deliciously sweet filling were a refreshing delight.  In Bosnia, the stuffed apple traditionally is topped with whipped cream and a brandied cherry, but because I love the filling so much, I topped mine with an additional scoop.  So here you have it: Tufahije, American style.

No song really seems apt for such a sweet dish and for my first homage to Sarajevo.  But for a city that's at once so sad, beautiful, and alive, here's Bryan Ferry's cover of Bob Dylan's 1965 "Positively 4th Street", with its addictive, enticing, and heartbreaking lyrics.

Ingredients:
--4 Golden Delicious apples
--4 c. sugar
--1 lemon
--1/2 c. chopped walnuts
--1/2 c. chopped hazelnuts
--1 c. plain Greek yogurt
--1 tbsp. cinnamon
--1 tbsp. honey (thanks to my lovely hosts at Guest House Halvat, I brought home Bosnian honey!) 

Core and peel the Golden Delicious apples.

In a medium-sized bowl, blend the zest of one lemon, Greek yogurt, cinnamon, honey, walnuts, and hazelnuts.  This should form a creamy paste.  Set aside until ready to use.

In a large pot, place peeled and cored apples.  Add enough water just to cover the apples, and then add the sugar and the juice from the zested lemon to the water.  Bring to a low boil, and cover the pot so that the apple stay submerged.  Boil for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the apples are soft but still firm enough to grip.  Remove pot from heat and allow apples and syrup to cool.

Once the apples have cooled, place them in small serving dishes large enough to hold the apple and extra syrup.  Next, fill the center hole in the apple (former site of the core) with the yogurt and nut cream.  Drizzle remaining sugar and lemon syrup from the pot over the apple to taste (I poured approximately 3 tbsp. over the apple).  

 
Chill the apples and the remaining cream until ready to serve. Top with  large scoop of the remaining cream and enjoy! 

Phyllo Extravaganza!

Oh yes, oh yes!  Baklava, Kataifi, and then some.  I'm keeping the fabulous desserts of Greece and Turkey alive in America, right in my very own kitchen.  With the scents of honey, pistachio, and walnuts wafting from my oven (and a smorgasbord of leftovers across my countertops), I don't regret one second of the many hours it took to make this pastry feast.

I made a traditional Turkish pistachio baklava, Fistikli durum (a pistachio-paste pastry roll), a sesame-molasses roll, Tel Kadayif (a kataifi and walnut cake), and kataifi miniatures.  All the pastries ended up smothered in Kaymak, a traditional Turkish milk cream.  As far as the traditional baklava goes, I already gave you a recipe here, and I didn't make many changes, save for an addition of about 1 tbsp. rosewater to the syrup and a post-bake dusting of pistachios.  

 

For all the others, the recipes are about to follow.  (*Four* recipes are contained within this blog post.  I couldn't help myself.)

And what song could match up with the sugary saturation and sensory overload of this phyllo feast?  None other than the Beatles' "Savoy Truffle," a delicious White Album delight.   

Fistikli Durum:

The paste and pastry:

--2 c. roasted pistachios

--4 c. whole milk (although any would do)

--1/2 c. white sugar

--1 tbsp. cardamom

--1 tsp. cinnamon

--1 tsp. allspice

--1 package phyllo dough

--1 stick unsalted butter, melted

The syrup:

--1 c. water

--1 c. white sugar

--1 c. honey

Before beginning your phyllo work, de-thaw your packaged dough according to the instructions on the box (typically, you'll need to plan a day ahead).  For instructions on working with the phyllo, see my previous Baklava post.

For this specific recipe, you'll need to plan at least two days ahead . . . .

In a large bowl, soak the pistachios in the whole milk for 24-48 hours, or until the pistachios have soaked up all the milk (to the naked eye).  Strain the pistachios, and *save* the remaining milk (you're going to use it for your Kaymak!)  In a food processor, combine soaked pistachios, sugar, and spices.  Pulse until a paste has formed.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Spoon the paste into a row, length-wise, on one piece of phyllo.  Brush melted butter on the rest of the dough surface.

Carefully roll the dough and place in buttered 18" buttered jelly roll pan (in Athens and Istanbul, you'll see these large trays in bakeries, beautifully filled with baklava and other phyllo pastries).  Continue to make these rolls until you've filled the cake pan.  Then slice the rolls so that you have individual pieces (if you don't slice (or "score") the phyllo before you put it in the oven, you will not be able to cut it afterward.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until just golden-colored on top.  Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes.

In a saucepan, make your syrup.  Heat the water, sugar, and honey until the sugar has dissolved.  Pour over your pistachio rolls, and allow them to sit for at least 8 hours.

Sesame-Molasses Roll:

The filling and pastry:

--1 c. walnuts

--1/4 c. tahini

--1/4 c. pomegranate molasses (this is a specialty item you'll have to look for at Middle Eastern groceries or buy through special order, but in a pinch, you could also make this yourself by blending molasses and pomegranate juice, 3 parts molasses to 1 part pomegranate juice)

--1 tbsp. cinnamon

--1 tbsp. orange zest

--1/2 c. white sugar

--2 packages phyllo dough

--dash of black sesame seeds

--dash of white sesame seeds (both my black and white sesame seeds came straight from the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul)

--1 c. unsalted butter, melted

The syrup:

--1 c. water

--1 c. white sugar

--1/2 c. honey

--2 tbsp. orange blossom water (the taste of orange--both in the orange zest above and the orange blossom water here--nicely complements the sesame flavor)

In a food processor, pulse the walnuts, tahini, pomegranate molasses, cinnamon, sugar, and orange zest until you've got a thick-ish paste that has the consistency of a tootsie roll(!)  Lay out the phyllo dough, and roll out a very long and thin strip of your paste--it should have an approximately 1/8" diameter or smaller.  Place it horizontally on the phyllo dough, and brush butter on the remaining dough sheet.  Now roll up the phyllo dough so that the paste is at the center.  Next, brush another sheet of phyllo with butter, and roll your already-rolled piece (with the paste at the center) again.  Repeat 8 times per roll (this will give you a lot of pastry dough around the center paste).  

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the finished roll in a buttered 13"x 9" cake pan.  Repeat steps until the pan is filled with rolls.  Cut/score the rolls so that you have individual pieces (again, you'll need to do this *before* baking).  Bake for approx. 25 minutes, or until phyllo is slightly golden-colored on top.  Remove from oven an allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

While the pastries are cooling, make the syrup.  Combine all syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved.  Pour over pastry rolls and allow to sit for at least 8 hours.  Sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds.

Tel Kataifi:

The cake:

--1 package kataifi pastry dough (as with traditional phyllo sheets, you'll need to de-thaw this in advance)

--1/2 c. walnuts

--1/2 c. pistachios

--1 tsp. cinnamon

--1 tsp. cardamom

--1 tsp. allspice

--1 tsp. cloves

--1/2 c. brown sugar

--1 stick unsalted butter, melted

The syrup:

--1 c. water

--1 c. white sugar

--1 c. honey

--1 tsp. rosewater

--1 tsp. orange blossom water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

First, divide your kataifi dough into thirds (this is a bit hard to work with, and it's constantly breaking and drying out).  It will come in a very long bunch that has been folded into thirds or fourths.  Unfold the dough (it will look like a large bunch of uncooked vermicelli pasta), and using kitchen shears, cut it into three chunks.  Cover with a damp cloth so that it doesn't dry out.  

In a food processor, combine the walnuts, pistachios, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, cloves, and brown sugar until all ingredients are combined and the nuts are chopped (but not powdered).  Divide the mixture into thirds.  In a buttered 13" x 9" baking dish, spread 1/3 of the nut mixture on the bottom of the pan.  Take the first chunk of kataifi, untangle it, and spread in bunches over the top of the nut mixture.  (The kataifi does *not* have to be in any neat form--just place it evenly, in knots and small bundles, across the top of the mixture.)  Brush butter onto the top of the kataifi, add another layer of the nut mixture, and then repeat once more so that you have three layers of the nut mixture and the kataifi (ending with the kataifi on top).  

Brush butter onto the top kataifi layer and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Don't let the kataifi burn--as soon as it begins to take on a slightly golden color, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  While it's cooling, make the syrup.

In a small saucepan, heat the water, honey, sugar, rosewater, and orange blossom water until the sugar has dissolved.  Pour evenly over the layered kataifi "cake" and allow to sit for at least 8 hours.

And if you're up for a challenge, you can use the kataifi and walnut mixture to make kataifi minis!  (Roll the kataifi into little nests, place them in mini cupcake papers, fill with walnut mixture, and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from mini cupcake papers, place in baking dish, and pour syrup over and allow to sit for 6-8 hours.)

Now, what plate of baklava is complete without a thick cream sauce?  My "Cremaster" boyfriend monitored the Kaymak as it cooked for eight hours, but it didn't drive him to scale any walls (yes, I'm making a Matthew Barney pun).

Kaymak (Turkish milk cream), adapted from Binnur's Turkish Cookbook: 

*Note: you need a lot of lead time for this recipe

--2 cups pistachio milk (this is the leftover milk from the pistachios you soaked for the Fistikli Durum, plus the addition of any whole milk needed to bring the measurement up to 2 cups)

--2 cups heavy whipping cream

Whisk the milk and cream together in a Pyrex bowl.  Next, heat approx. 2 cups of water in a small saucepan, with the Pyrex bowl sitting on top (creating a double boiler).  Once the water (and the cream mixture, sitting on top) has come to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and allow the cream mixture to simmer for eight hours.  Yes, this is such a long time, but it's worth it!  Whisk the mixture every 15 minutes or so, and once eight hours have passed, remove from heat, allow to cool.  Then cover the cream mixture (still in the Pyrex bowl, but now thickened from cooking) with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Once the mixture has been in the refrigerator for approximately 8-10 hours, a thick mound should have formed in the middle of the bowl, cut it/spoon it onto the top of prepared baklava.  

[If you don't have time to make Kaymak, a regular vanilla ice cream goes very nicely on top, too!] 

Baklava and other phyllo pastries do not need refrigeration, and they last for quite awhile (at least a week or two!).  Delicious desserts for days, and days, and days!

Baklava (or, I've Died and Gone to Pastry Heaven)

This has been an absolute, without-a-doubt, all-time favorite dessert of mine for as long as I can remember.  I've heard that it's a terribly difficult one to make and that phyllo dough is impossible to work with, but I'm here to tell you: it's not true!  It is important to be careful when handling the phyllo dough and to keep it moist while creating this lovely, layered treat, but it's entirely possible.  

I must admit: I was inspired to create my own version of this, for the very first time, since I began planning a trip to Istanbul.  A visit to the center of delicious baklava production?  My tastebuds can't wait!  In particular, I'm aching to have the genuine version from Güllüoğlu.  While New York now has its own Güllüoğlu Cafe, I'm thrilled to try it at its point of origin.   

What song pairs best with this Turkish, honey-drenched pastry?  One of the first songs that made me dream of leaving America to see the world: the Feelies' Moscow Nights.  Although I've traveled around since hearing it many years ago, its bold beat and tragic lyrics continually reinvigorate my wanderlust.  

Pastry and Filling:

--1 box frozen phyllo dough (I buy this at Whole Foods, and then I thaw it according to the package instructions, which typically suggest 7-8 hours in the refrigerator, followed by 2 hours on the countertop before use)

--1 pound pistachios

--1/2 pound walnuts

--1/2 c. light brown sugar

--1 tbsp. cinnamon

--1 tsp. ground cloves

--1 tsp. ground cardamom

--1 tsp. ground allspice

--4 sticks unsalted butter 

Place pistachios and walnuts in a food processor and pulse until chopped but not powdery.  In a medium-sized bowl, combine chopped nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and allspice.  Mix well.  (The colors are gorgeous.)

In another medium-sized bowl, melt 4 sticks of butter (I know this seems like a lot of butter, but it makes the pastry dough flaky and delicious).  Now remove the phyllo from its packaging, and rest on a clean surface on top of a damp, kitchen towel.  If you're using a 13x9" pan (as I did), you'll need to cut the phyllo to the correct measurements.  Using kitchen shears, cut all sheets--all at once!--into 13x9" rectangles and discard scraps.  Place another damp kitchen towel on top of the trimmed dough sheets.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Now, using a pastry brush (I used a new silicone one that worked amazingly--thank you, Molly!!), generously butter the insides of your pan.  Carefully lay down one sheet of phyllo dough and then brush butter across the entire top.  Lay another phyllo sheet down on top of the first one, and butter again with pastry brush.  Repeat this step until you have 8 sheets of dough layered in your pan.  Then, spoon out 1/3 of your nut mixture and spread evenly.  Continue with another round of phyllo sheets and butter, this time using only 4 sheets.  After you've gotten 4 pieces of phyllo down on top of your first layer of nuts and spices, add another layer of that pistachio, almond, and spice mix, using about 1/3 of the mixture.  Then add another four buttered phyllo sheets, one at a time, followed by the final third of the mixture.  Then add the final four phyllo sheets, and make sure to butter the top (and final) sheet.  

Next, you must score the baklava.  You can create any shape you'd like (squares, rectangles, and so forth), but I wanted to make the traditional diamond-shaped pastries.  To do this, make four deep cuts length-wise across the dish.  Then, make six angled cuts, creating a criss-cross diamond pattern (see image).

Bake for approx. 40 minutes, or until top sheet is golden brown.  Remove and let cool for just about 5-10 minutes.  Re-score the dish, making sure the cuts between each piece remain (you want to make sure the syrup will soak in evenly). 

While your dish is baking, it's time to make the syrup.

Syrup:

--1 c. white sugar

--1 c. honey (I used orange blossom honey to give it a slight citrus flavor, but any will do)

--2/3 c. water

--1 tsp. cardamom

--1 tsp. clove

--1 tsp. allspice

Stirring regularly, bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat, until both sugar and honey are dissolved.  Cook on medium-low for about 5-10 minutes, or until the syrup is relatively thick.

Pour the syrup evenly over your cooling baklava.  Cover, and allow it to sit at room temperature for 8 hours.  (I know this is difficult, but the syrup will not have soaked into the pastry without this length of time.  It requires both strength and willpower.)

It's so worth the wait.