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.

Lemon Zest Cheesecake with Strawberry Basil Sauce

Is it summer yet?  It's starting to feel that way in Virginia.  Our grass is growing at breakneck speed and bees are buzzing around the back porch, but more importantly, we have fresh basil growing again!  What better way to welcome the warm weather than with a citrus treat featuring freshly picked herbs?

This cheesecake is an adaptation from one of Giada's cheesecakes, and let me just say, a ricotta cheesecake is pretty darn delicious.  Just FYI, you've gotta make this in advance because it needs about 8 hours in the refrigerator.

I've adapted the original recipe to take advantage of one of my favorite flavor trios: strawberry-basil-lemon.  In fact, I've made this cheesecake before with a strawberry base and a lemon-basil sauce, and you might remember a strawberry basil pie from last spring.  I just can't get enough.

So what other song than Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough"?

Ingredients:

Crust:
--1 1/2 c. crushed honey graham crackers
--3 tbsp. unsalted butter
--1-2 tsp. honey

Filling:
--2 8-oz. packages cream cheese or neufchatel
--1 c. whole milk ricotta, at room temp
--1 c. freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (about 3 whole lemons)
--3 tbsp. lemon zest (zest from about 3 lemons)
--4 eggs
--3/4 c. turbinado sugar

Strawberry Basil Sauce:
--1 c. chopped fresh strawberries
--large bunch fresh basil
--1/2 c. turbinado sugar
--3/4 c. water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor, pulse the honey grahams, butter, and honey until the crust ingredients start to stick together.  Grease a 10" springform pan, and cover the bottom and edges in aluminum foil.  Press the crust mixture onto the bottom of the pan, pressing down to make it even.  Bake for about 7-9 minutes at 350 degrees F and remove from oven to cool.

For the filling, beat together the cream cheese, ricotta, and turbinado sugar until cream.  Add the eggs one at a time, continuing to beat.  Once those are combined, add the lemon juice and lemon zest, beating at medium speed until the mixture is creamy.  Pour onto the crust in the springform pan.

Next, take a roasting pan and fill it about 2-3 inches with warm water, or enough to come about halfway up the sides of the springform pan.  Place the springform pan (unbaked) in the roasting pan, and put the whole thing in the oven.  Bake for about 1 hour 30 min., or until the cheesecake is set (it won't wiggle when you shake the pan).

Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Cover and place in refrigerator for approximately 8 hours.  (It will stay good for a few days in the fridge, too!).

For the sauce:

In a small saucepan, heat the turbinado sugar and water over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, forming a simple syrup.  In a food processor, combine the simple syrup, strawberries, and basil.  Pulse until you've got your desire consistency (I like the basil very finely chopped and incorporated).  Store separately, and pour over each delicious piece of cheesecake.

Bison Stew

Before it gets too warm outside, you've got to try this bison stew.  I found the recipe in a Cowboys & Indians magazine issue, plucked from the kitchen of the Good News Cafe.  

I made a few changes to the recipe to make it my own, but this stew makes for a great (and healthy!) comfort food.  And it's delicious over orzo pasta.  I made mine in a cast-iron Dutch oven, but you could use a roasting pan in the oven (or even a stock pot on the stove).  Just a quick note: the buffalo meat needs to marinate for quite awhile, so start prepping this dish 1-2 days in advance.  

Did I mention that I made this stew soon after returning from the arid landscape of West Texas?  Recipes like this one bring me back to the tungsten-colored fields that are expansive enough to make me believe that, on a clear day, I can see forever.  Here's the Mountain Goats' "Jeff Davis County Blues," from the amazing concept album All Hail West Texas.  

Marinade ingredients:
*adapted from Carole Peck's recipe featured in March 2013 Cowboys & Indians
--2 c. olive oil
--1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
--1 tbsp. fresh English thyme, chopped
--1 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped (I love sage in almost any cold-weather dish)
--1 tsp. ground coriander
--1 tsp. allspice
--1 clove fresh garlic, finely chopped
--1 tsp. each salt & pepper
--approx. 4 lbs. buffalo should or rump steak, trimmed and cubed (I bought mine from our local Whole Foods, and it was pre-trimmed and pre-cubed.  In fact, I couldn't find it anywhere else or in any other form!).  

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Add the olive oil, whisk, toss the meat to coat it, and allow buffalo to marinate in your refrigerator for 24-48 hours.   

Stew ingredients:
--8 plum tomatoes
--1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
--1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
--2 c. large green olives, chopped
--1 lb. cooked orzo pasta (or whatever suits your fancy--pasta, rice, potatoes)

Wash, core, and then blanch the tomatoes to remove their skin.  (To blanch a tomato, place it in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then remove it to a bowl of cold water until it's chilled.  You'll be able to peel the skins right off.)  Then slice into quarters and set aside for the stew.  

Next, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Take approx. 1/4 c. of the marinade and pour it into the bottom of a cast-iron Dutch oven.  Over medium heat on the stovetop, cook the onion pieces until they're soft, approx. 5-7 minutes.  Next add the olives and the balsamic vinegar.  Now place the buffalo (and 1/4 to 1/2 c. of the remaining olive oil marinade) into the pan to brown on all sides, for approximately 10-12 minutes.  Remove from heat, add the tomatoes, cover, and bake in the oven for approx. 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the buffalo is very tender and flaky.

Serve over the orzo.  Yum!

Russian Honey Cake

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Moscow.  What a dream!  The ground was still covered in snow, and I walked for hours through the city streets.  On my last night, I had dinner at Cafe Pushkin, one of the most glorious dining experiences of my life.  In addition to having winter borsch that was out of this world (sorry--move over Brighton Beach restaurants), I had a dessert that couldn't have been more perfect: a 15-layer honey cake.  

I knew I'd have to try to make my own version when I got back to America.  

With an amazing new pastry roller (thanks, Molly!), I created 15 separate dough circles and baked them for just a few minutes each.  Making this cake is a labor of love, but it's so worth it.  Not only is the cake batter filled with delicious honey, but I made it with two different kinds of honey-based filling: a sweet sour cream (everything in Russia is served with it, it seems!), and a buttercream icing. My version is a little bit different than the slice I devoured in Moscow, but I thought I'd make it my own.

I'm so angry with myself that I've already given you the song that would go perfectly with this pastry.  I used it last year for a baklava post when I was getting ready to leave for Istanbul.  What was I thinking?  I promise I'll do my best not to repeat another song, but I've gotta do it here.  Instead of the album version this time, here's the Feelies' "Moscow Nights," performed at Maxwell's in Hoboken.

Cake Batter:
*Recipe adapted from RusCusine.com (these Russian dessert recipes aren't easy to find!)
--2 large eggs
--3/4 c. granulated sugar
--1 tsp. baking soda
--3 tbsp. honey, warmed (so it's very thin liquid-y)
--1/4 c. unsalted butter
--2 c. all-purpose flour

[filling and icing recipes to follow]

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until light yellow (about 3-4 minutes by hand with a whisk).  Add in baking soda and liquid honey, and continue to whisk until combined.  In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter.  Add the egg mixture and whisk until combined.  A bit at a time, add the flour and continue to whisk until all flour has been incorporated.  The mixture will be thick and extremely difficult to whisk when it's finished.  

Remove from heat, and separate into 15 small balls of dough and dip them in flour so they're not too sticky to handle.  On a floured surface, use a pastry roller to flatten each ball of dough until it's approximately 2mm thick (as thin as possible, while still being able to move the dough and place it on a baking sheet).  Using a saucer (or any other tracing tool that's approximately 6 inches in diameter), trace each dough into a perfect circle, trimming the edges.  Repeat with each ball of dough. 

Bake each dough circle on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, or *just* until golden in color.  Allow to cool at room temperature while you make the filling and icing.

Honey Sour Cream Filling:
--2 c. sour cream
--1/4 c. honey, warmed
--1/2 c. granulated sugar

Whisk to combine and set aside.

Honey Buttercream Icing:
--3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
--3 tbsp. honey, warmed
--1/4 c. half & half
--1/2 to 1 c. confectioner's sugar (depending on how thick you want your icing)


Beat on low speed until combined.  Continue to add confectioner's sugar to thicken (and, if you've added too much, a splash of half & half to thin it).  Set aside.  Now, put the cake together!!!

Alternate filling layers with the sour cream and buttercream until you've stacked all 15 cakes (the cakes will be very thin, like cookie-style pastries, so you're not in danger of the cake falling over!).  

Ice the outside with the remaining buttercream, and drizzle a honey pattern on top.  Best with a Baltika No. 6 Porter. 
 

Kourabiedes (the Most Delicious Butter Cookies)

This is another recipe of my great grandmother's that made its way from a Greek holiday cookie to a Sicilian anytime cookie.  The spelling and pronunciation of these remained a wonderful mystery throughout my childhood.  In fact, for years as a kid, I assumed these must be spelled "could-a-be-eddie."  We usually make them at Christmastime, but they're too easy and delicious to eat only once a year.  Rich butter cookies with pecans: mmmmmmmm.  This time around, I made a Valentine's Day batch.  

Here's a secret: I actually have this recipe memorized.  (It's that easy, and, well, I've made it more times than I can count.)  There are a lot of cookies that are similar in texture and ingredient profile, e..g, Russian Tea Cakes and Mexican Wedding Cakes, but for me, this recipe is special because it's also infused with a lot of happy memories.

For Valentine's Day, here's the inimitable Frank Sinatra singing "My Funny Valentine."

Ingredients:
--1/2 lb. unsalted butter
--1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
--1 tsp. lemon extract
--1 tsp. vanilla extract
--2 c. flour
--1/2 c. finely chopped pecans 
[icing recipe to follow]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioner's sugar.  Add lemon and vanilla extracts, then blend in flour.  With a wooden spoon, fold in pecans.  Roll into 1" ball and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Flatten balls with the palm of your hand, and bake for 7-9 minutes, or *just* until the edges begin to look slightly colored.  If they're golden on top, they're overcooked!  Allow to cool.

Icing:
--1 tbsp. unsalted butter
--3 tbsp. whole milk
--2 tsp. vanilla extract
--1/2 to 1 c. confectioner's sugar
--sugar sprinkles (optional)

In a small bowl, melt butter, and whisk in milk and vanilla.  Add confectioner's sugar, whisking well, until icing is desired consistency (add more confectioner's sugar for a thicker icing).  Spread over cooled cookies.  If so desired, top with sugar sprinkles in the color of your choice (as you can see, I used red).  Eat 'em up!

Mákos Guba (Poppyseed Bread Pudding)

This recipe has been a long time comin'.  In late July, I had one of the most amazing food experiences: traveling to Cered, Hungary to visit my friend Gergely, his village, and his lovely family.  This bread pudding is just one of the many, many delicious things we feasted upon.

With layers of sweet poppyseeds and custard, this makes one amazing dessert.  Where to buy poppyseeds, you might inquire?  I brought mine back from a small market in Budapest, but it turns out you can order them from Amazon if you don't have a specialty foods store nearby.  

I've adapted this recipe just a bit to account for shifts from the metric system and a few ingredients that aren't as accessible in America.  I think it stays true to the heart and soul of the original recipe.  

And for a song, you ask?  Here's The Teardrop Explodes' "Poppies in the Field."  [This is the only clip I could find featuring this song, incorrectly titled, of course!  My aesthetic apologies to Julian Cope.]

Ingredients:
--2 small baguettes, on the stale side
--4 c. whole milk
--4 large eggs
--1/2 c. granulated sugar
--1/2 c. turbinado sugar, + extra for sprinkling
--2 tsp. vanilla extract
--1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
--1 c. ground poppyseeds
--1 tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the bread into approximately 1" cubes and set aside.  In a medium saucepan, heat the milk on medium-low until it is quite warm--do not let the milk boil!  In a large bowl, combine eggs, granulated sugar, turbinado sugar, and vanilla extract.  Slowly whisk into the milk and continue to cook over low heat until the sugar has dissolved.  Remove from heat and set aside, covered.

In a smaller bowl, combine the confectioner's sugar and ground poppyseeds.  Set aside.

Butter the inside of a large glass pyrex-style bowl.  Place a layer of the bread cubes on the bottom (about 1/3 of the cubes), pour approx. 1/3 of the milk & egg mixture on top so that each piece of bread has been covered, and then generously sprinkle the poppyseed mixture so that all the bread is covered (you want to have about 1/2" of poppyseeds on top of the bread--you shouldn't see any bread underneath).  Repeat these steps once more: bread--milk & egg--poppyseeds.  Place one final layer of the bread cubes on top, and pour the remaining milk & egg on top.  Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top, and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until custard is set in the center.  

For a topping, I made an *optional* lemon cream sauce, for which you'll need:
--1 c. whole milk
--1/2 c. granulated sugar
--1 tsp. lemon extract
--juice & zest of one lemon
--2 tbsp. cornstarch

In a small saucepan, heat milk and sugar over low heat until sugar has dissolved.  Keeping the saucepan over low heat, add lemon extract and lemon juice & zest, whisking them in.  Vigorously whisk in 2 tbsp. cornstarch, and continue to heat over low for 4-5 min., or until the sauce has thickened.  Remove from heat and pour over bread pudding before serving. 

We had our pudding with some amazing pálinka--Hungarian brandy homemade by Gergely's father--and served in tiny pálinka glasses I found at an antique store in central Virginia (what a find!). 

Coquitos

What better way to ring in 2013 than with a delicious drink?  Like an eggnog without the eggs, a coquito is a creamy, spiced, and rum-spiked holiday beverage traditionally served in Puerto Rico. 

To celebrate the new year, here's Bert Jansch's "The Bright New Year," from his 1969 album Birthday Blues. 

Ingredients:
--1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
--1 32oz carton sweetened coconut milk
--2 tbsp. vanilla extract
--1 c. dark rum
--2 tsp. cinnamon
--2 tsp. nutmeg
--2 tsp. cloves

We used Venezuelan rum and Mexican-imported vanilla we picked up from El Mercado in San Antonio, TX.  

Whisk all ingredients together vigorously in a large bowl.  Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until cold.  Serve and enjoy!