February 15, 2005
Ottoman Treasures: Sunday Dinner Review
Who Came:
On this blustery and wet Parisian day, where we experienced the whole gamut of weather -- from hail, thunder and lightening, to outbursts of sun -- we had over Paul W., an American friend who is a long time Parisian resident and homme de le monde with stories that never stop about interesting people and places, one of those rare ûber connectors which Malcolm Gladwell made famous in The Tipping Point. It's not surprising, then, that I was introduced to him via Napier C., another mega-node in the world's social networks. Paul is also the founder and inspiration behind Forum 21, a special conference that:
Invites some 200 eclectic, accomplished, curious, interesting and congenial people from many disciplines, cultures and countries to share the latest thinking in their fields and their views of the world. In a weekend designed to emulate the 18th Century French Salons we share ideas and perspectives in order to transcend professional, social, intellectual and cultural boundaries. Our objective is to promote international understanding by building continuing personal international relationships.
Toby and I went last year and had a ball, even though Toby has never forgiven me for suddenly finding himself having to speak as a panelist on the "Future of Artificial Intelligence" with a bunch of MIT professors. The whole atmosphere felt very GBNesque, in the older days. We hope to go again this May. I've been asked to look for interesting people to invite, so please let me know if you're interested in attending via forum21@adaptive-edge.com
As is almost tradition, George E. also rounded out our small party this weekend, a good pinch hitter when the other half of the party had a last minute change of plans.
My own Toby P. was of course there, helping in both the eating and preparing, making us four in total around our tiny little table, a former desk from IKEA transformed by a French white linen table cloth, candles, and silverware.
What We Ate
I had long been craving some Turkish food. We have been to Turkey twice, both times to visit our close friends, Nedim and Iris, who we met while living in San Francisco -- an old buddy of Toby's from the "Thursday" crowd. With such a short hop from Paris, just 2-3 hours by air to Istanbul, it's astonishingly close given the leap in exoticism. What's even better is that Turkey is very affordable and the people are wonderful. The myth that it's an unsafe "Muslim" country, however misconceived, filters out those kinds of tourists, which is just fine by me. The truth is Turkey could easily become a model place for multiculturalism within an Islamic backdrop. We're certainly rooting for its success!
Oh, and did I mention the food? The food is just superb: sophisticated, wide-ranging, with the healthy Mediterranean balance and freshness. Such an excellent cuisine is no doubt the delectable artifact of thousands of years of history, the ebb and flow of Empires and cultures, from the Ottoman to Byzantine and beyond. And, while most people don't know this, we have to thank in an odd way the Turks for the venerable French croissant. They were invented, not in France, but in Budapest in the 17th century after the Ottomans lay siege to the city. They would have succeeded if it weren't for the bakers who, because they were working in the early hours in subterranean kitchens, heard the prospective invaders trying to tunnel under the city walls and alerted the army in time to ward them off. To celebrate this victory, the bakers made these pastries in the shape of the Islamic symbol, hence croissants -- or crescent moons, as they literally mean. They soon became a hit, not only in Hungry but in Vienna and throughout the Austrian empire as well, but were only introduced to France when Marie-Antoinette moved from her Austrian home to marry the Louis XVII.
Apart from the yummy pastries, which are in abundance in Turkey, the format of having "mesas" or tapas in Spanish food -- and now called "mirco dining" in chi chi food biz circles -- is clearly a healthy way to eat as opposed to consuming masses of food at once. Though, I have to admit, when we visited Turkey I can recall our bellies aching with over abundance as our hosts encouraged us to just try one more dish!
Our Sunday repast wasn't as grand but nonetheless satisfying.
February 13, 2005
Toby's Garlicky Humus
with Pita Bread and Baby Radishes
Champagne
***
Lamb & Pistachio Köfte with Tahini Sauce
Lentil Aubergine Stew with Pomegranate Molasses
Turkish Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Carrot & Herbed Yogurt Puree
Chateau Haut-Myles
Medoc 1997
***
Turkish Delight
Turkish Halva
Orange quarters
Fresh Mint Tea or Coffee
While the homemade humus was devoured in full, the hit of the meal was the lamb köfte with the tahini sauce. I think most food cultures have a meatball dish of some sort. However, the spices in this dish make it more interesting than most.
The carrot and yogurt puree was also a nice compliment to other flavours on the plate. The lentil stew with pomegranate molasses has definite potential and was the most distinct of the dishes, but I warn people: don't use too much of the stuff. It's potent, especially in combination with the lentils, and may cause some adverse reactions in the GI tract as one person reported after the fact.
Köfte with Pistachios and Tahini Sauce
MAKES ABOUT 35 KOFTE
1.5 cups shelled unsalted pistachios
3/4 pound ground lamb
3/4 pound ground beef
2 medium onions grated
3 teaspoons of cumin
1.5 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 tablespoon of fresh pepper
1 teaspoon of red crushed pepper
3/4 cup of freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoons of olive oil
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread the pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned; let cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine the lamb, beef, pistachios, onions, cumin, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper and mix with your hands. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. Lightly knead parsley into the meat. Roll the meat into tablespoon size balls. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet. Add half of the meatballs and cook over a moderate heat until browned all over, about 8 minute; reduce the heat quickly if the meatballs brown too quickly. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and meatballs. Serve the meatballs hot or at room temperature with the Tahini Sauce (below.)
Tahini Sauce
MAKES ABOUT TWO CUPS
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup tahini paste at room temperature
1/4 cup water
Salt
Nigella seeds (optional)
1. In a medium bowl, toss the onion with the cumin and pepper.
2. In a small bowl, using a whisk, work the lemon juice into the tahini. Gradually whisk in the water until smooth. Season with salt. Stir the sauce into the onion, then stir well and garnish with nigella seeds.
Cooking Notes:
Make sure the meat has enough fat content in them or your meatballs will be dry. Italians often mix pork in with their beef meatballs for precisely this reason.
This is a great dish to do in advance for a party. However, if you are cooking the köfte in advance, slightly undercook them first because they will finish cooking while reheating in the oven.
The sauce is a must with this recipe. Making both recipes in advance, the day before, enhances the flavour considerably.
Posted by nicole at February 15, 2005 07:22 PM