Monday, September 13, 2010

BBQ with Veggie Kebabs

'Komşu!'

Neighbour! The garden gate creaked and I knew immediately that the arrival of Leyla from next door was imminent. It was the first day of bayram and we were back in our village. The tradition is to visit family and friends after the testing time of the long fast. Children will look spick and span in their brand new clothes. The atmosphere is all rather Christmas-like actually. Leyla came with her university-educated daughter Emine bearing small dishes of village delicacies made in her outdoor oven: pişi, basically a deep-fried pastry, and baklava, made with olive oil and not butter as in the cities. A true bayram visit is not long: just enough to share a glass of tea and to offer something sweet to eat.

our neighbour Leyla with her daughter
The weather was delightful, so the idea of a barbecue that evening was tempting. We decided to keep it simple : some lovely little pirzola/lamb chops with fresh vegetable kebabs, and a salad with more of that wonderful bread.

Barbecue to go:

1. First we marinated the baby lamb chops: olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, fresh thyme. We covered them with clingfilm and put them in the fridge.

marinating the pirzola
2. We looked to see what vegetables we had. The markets didn’t happen because it was holiday time so we were limited to what we could find in the one and only grocer’s: a few eggplants, tomatoes, red onions, green and red peppers (the big ones, not the hot ones). We washed, cut and sliced a selection and threaded them on some metal skewers. Colour is always important to me so I was careful to balance the reds and purples, not forgetting to peel the eggplants in strips rather than leaving the peel whole. We also added bay leaves and sprigs of rosemary from the garden in between the slices. We treated the kebabs to a drizzle of olive oil too, seasoned them and put to one side.

our kebabs
drizzling olive oil

 I had brought roka/rocket from Istanbul. We really love it but sometimes the taste can be very fiery and needs to be tempered. Tomatoes are always good for this but we didn’t have enough so instead I discovered a lone carrot and some spring onions. I grated the carrot and secretly admired the colour contrast of the orange with the green. Then the spring onions, chopped. To perk the whole thing up, we roughly crushed some walnuts in a plastic bag with the rolling pin and sprinkled them on top. I wondered what else we could add to make the salad more festive and remembered that I had brought some parmesan from Istanbul with me so we shaved a few flakes off.

Waiting for the heat of the charcoal to subside to allow cooking to commence, wine or rakı glasses in our hands, we watched the sun go down and listened to the homeward-bound tinkle of goat bells : it seemed a splendid ending to the day.

Tips


  • If you don’t have metal skewers, you can buy the wooden ones BUT remember to soak them in water for 30 minutes beforehand otherwise they will go up in flames! Not a good thing.

  • Marinating overnight is best to get the full flavours and to tenderise. Take the food out of the fridge early enough as it will cook better at room temperature.

  • Eggplant takes longer than the other veggies to soften up. Courgettes would be quicker. These kebabs take about 30 mins. At least.

  • If you are not barbecuing, I suggest grilled vegetables in the oven. (200C/ 180C fan). The same thing with or without the skewers. It makes a great sight: a full aluminium foil-lined tray of colourful veggies.Take them to the table like that. A real crowd -pleaser. Recipes always say about 30 mins but in my experience, a good 40 – 45 mins works better.
shaving parmesan for the salad




Shaving rather than grating cheese is much more attractive on a salad. Nuts, especially walnuts, are always a good addition.


Make sure you have one last BBQ before the colder weather sets in!
              

Just stealing some wifi... I'm alive!!

Hi there!!

It's been a while, I know, and I'm sorry, but until today I couldn't steal some wifi, so it's bien alsmot two weeks without internet... but yesterday I was a little bit lucky and so I was today, so here I am... alive!!

As you may suposse, I'm at Barcelona right now, in my new flat. We've move to a smaller one, but cute, I must say. And another good new: I'm starting next monday at Barbie's store here, in Barcelona... yes, I've got a job! And it's in a Barbie's Store, so funny! I'm so happy about that!

I'm searching too for a Swedish teacher, as I want to learn Swedish, and so maybe next autumn moving to Sweden... what do you think? At least, I must try!

And I've got some news that you'll know about it soon ;)

So, from now, I'll try to be more online like this, until next week when we'll have our proper internet connection.

Puss!

Beef Rendang

  
      
"The purpose of life is the expansion of happiness."  So says Deepak Chopra in The Ultimate Happiness Prescription:  7 Keys to Joy and Enlightenment.  Through chapters guiding us how to Be Aware of Your Body, Find True Self-Esteem, and Give Up Being Right we learn that happiness is the goal of every other goal.  Chopra sees most people believing that happiness comes from becoming successful, accumulating wealth, being healthy and having good relationships.  He believes this is a mistake.  "Success, wealth, good health, and nurturing relationships are byproducts of happiness," says Chophra "not the cause."
    
Is Chopra right?  He wouldn't be able to say so since he suggests giving up being right.  However, he must certainly be a really happy guy, since he is reaping the byproducts of success and wealth.  What lessons do I take from Chopra?  One is that if I can get happiness from opening a book, I can get joy from opening a jar.  That is a modern home cook's dilemma, isn't it?  Are we semi-homemade, or are we intrepid culinary explorers?  Although for me, it's less about fear of the journey's path or destination, than fear of the time it will take to get there.  Of course, Chopra would probably say something like life is a journey that must be traveled.  But, at the end of a long kid-filled day with errands and grocery shopping, trips to the park and birthday parties, self-esteem is put aside for the body weary awareness that enlightenment, this evening anyway, will come from a jar of pre-prepared simmer sauce.
   
If there is ever a recipe to thank for coming pre-made, Rendang sauce is one.  While originating in Indonesia, Beef Rendang is favored by Malays in Malaysia and Singapore.  It is a rich coconut beef stew with a complex mix of southeast Asian spices.  It is often served at ceremonial occasions and to honored guests.  They should feel honored because it takes 3 hours to make, simmering cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamon, lemon grass, tamarind and palm sugar in coconut milk.  Time I want to take on some school nights?  20 minutes, or about the time it takes to cook the rice.  Still need convincing to put occasionally aside your inner chef?  As Chopra would say, "If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue."  So, some nights, quiet that internal dialogue, supress your ego, and find joy in a jar.  Serves 2.
      
Ingredients:
1 tbsp canola oil
1 lb beef appropriate for stir fry, cut into strips
salt/pepper
12 basil leaves, shredded
1 jar simmer sauce
     
Description:
Heat the oil in a wok or other fry pan over medium-high heat.  Add the beef and and brown for 4 minutes.  Add the simmer sauce and stir to mix.  Turn the heat to low and simmer gently uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.   Meanwhile, prepare the rice.  Plate the beef stew with the shredded basil on top.  Serve with the cooked rice.
     

French Beach Cottage Headboard

Hi everyone, Its that time again, Make It For Monday. I didn't post for the party last week for two reasons. One I have been busy working on Gracie (for those in the know my Beach Cottage On Wheels), and two I had nothing to show. This week I have a great project to show. I call it a French Beach Cottage Headboard, this was the solution to needing a headboard for Gracie, and having a small budget. I hope it inspires.....
Don't mind the blue tape, I'm still working on Gracie. A little of the finished product.

I had some beadboard from another project, but its not that expensive (also you can have it cut down at the home improvement store). I bought some 1x6 finished lumber.

I put it all together like this (BTW its better to nail the beadboard into the 1x6 from the back), also mitered corners look better (If you ask real nice they may do it there too, Mr. Swedish Room helped me with that).

What? Oh that, I had this laying around the house so I just put it on. I'm sure you can find something like this at the flea market or something like it at a home improvement store. You can be as fancy or plain as you want.

Add a little primer and paint, Wa La a French Beach Cottage Headboard. Go try it, I had fun. For more inspiration go see Cindy at http://cottageinstincts.blogspot.com/. Have a good Make It For Monday. I'm back to work on Gracie........
See everyone next time.......

Bed, Bath & Beyond Giveaway!

I am very excited to be hosting my first ever giveaway, in honor of my birthday week! It is a coupon to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It is worth 20% off until 10/04/10 on one single item. From 10/05/10 get 10% off one single item. This is a in-store only coupon! To find a store near you , visit their web-site's store locator page.

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment and tell me what you love about Bed, Bath and Beyond. Also include a valid e-mail address that I can contact you at.

For additional entries (leave a separate comment for each!)

* Follow Golden Reflections on Google Friend Connect (Left hand corner)
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* Vote for Golden Reflections on Picket Fence Blogs each day (1 separate comment each time).
* Blog about this giveaway and leave the link in your comment!

This giveaway ends on September 19 at 11:59pm. A winner will be chosen on September 20 via random.org. The winner will contact through e-mail as well as an announcement on this site. The winner will have 72 hours to contact me to receive the coupon. If not, another winner will be picked on 9/23.



I am not being financially compensated for this giveaway in any way.

Menu Plan Monday

Be sure to check out my first ever Giveaway; a coupon to Bed, Bath and Beyond! Click here for entry details! 


This week's menu is again pretty simple and easy. There is one thing that was brought over from last week, the lentils and rice. I will also be gone Friday-Sunday for a women's retreat with our church so poor David will be fending for himself! I think his parents house will be visited a lot this weekend. :)

Monday - Leftover Buffet
Tuesday - Rice and Lentils
Wednesday - Eating out for my birthday
Thursday - Scrumptious Bean Chili (a new recipe from Sarah over at Sarah's Heart's Home).
Friday - Sunday: Gone at the Women's Retreat.

Have a great week of menu planning! Be sure to link your menu up over @ OrgJunkie