Tuesday, November 9, 2010

BEST DIET TIP #8

Celery Root Puree

   
    
I'm a puree kind of guy.  Seems silly to say, and I imagine read.  Is that an oxymoron: puree and guy?  In some sense it couldn't be more manly.  What does the stereotypical guy want?  Meat and potatoes.  Purees provide us away to serve more interesting potatoes with our meat.  As fancy as I sometimes get, or want to serve, I still have a natural predilection toward some kind of supporting starch.  Maybe it's in our DNA, like the need and therefore taste for salt and fat.  Or it could be nurture.  I grew up in the Midwest with three squares a day.  And what more puts the square in a meal than meat and potatoes?  Although, while this recipe does contain potatoes, not all of my puree suggestions do. For instance, I like to pair a pea puree with seared scallops.  I also have recipes for cauliflower puree.  Indeed, purees provide that dual opportunity to provide a vegetable, and do so in a form and taste that is more savory, more satisfying.  To that S alliteration I might also add silky.  And now also celery root.  Celery root is related to celery, and has hints of celery flavoring, but it is a smoother, more subtle flavor (more Ss, I know).  It pairs wonderfully with potatoes and cream.  I served it with pan-seared duck breast and and a chery port sauce and was rewarded.  So, next time you want to get fancy for your man (or yourself), and sneak some vegetables in too, think of this puree recipe from Food & Wine 2006.  It will certainly satisfy!  Serves 2.
    
Ingredients:
1 large celery root, peeled and diced
2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1 garlic clove, diced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
salt/pepper
    
Directions:
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the celery root, potato, garlic, cream and milk and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes.  Drain into a colander and reserve the liquid.  Puree the mixture in a blender.  Add back in such liquid as necessary to form a soft puree consistency.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
   

Tangy Seasonal Soup with Tasty Meatballs



In Turkish this recipe is called Terbiyeli Köfte and again it is a classic. This is one of the very first Turkish dishes I ever attempted back in those distant Ankara days after watching my mother-in-law prepare it several times, and seeing how much the family enjoyed it. So for us it is forever connected with her and the time when our children were young. In fact we call it Babaanne’s yemek or Granny’s meal! According to Angie Mitchell in Secrets of the Turkish Kitchen,  the recipe dates back to the days of culinary experimentation in the Ottoman palace kitchens. Terbiyeli literally means well-behaved but in Turkish cooking it refers to a sauce made with lemon and egg. This dish can be either just that: a dish, or as I prefer to make it since that is how I was introduced to it, a delicious seasonal soup with little meatballs. Since the markets are now full of the winter vegetables that we will be seeing for the next few months, this recipe sprang to mind when I went to my usual Selami Çeşme market yesterday.
Ingredients for Terbiyeli Köfte
Serves 4 – 6
For the meatballs:
450g minced lamb or beef
1 tbsp rice, rinsed and drained
1 small onion, grated
1 handful of finely chopped parsley
1 handful finely chopped dill
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsps plain white flour
For the stock:
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 small celeriac, peeled and diced
2 tsp salt
4 cups/1 litre boiling water
For the terbiye/tangy sauce:
2 egg yolks
Pinch of salt
Juice of 1 lemon
Chopped parsley or dill to garnish
Method
§  Place the prepared vegetables in water with a squeeze of lemon to prevent discolouration.

all the ingredients for the köfte/meatballs

§  Combine the minced meat, rice, grated onion (keeping any residual onion juice to add to the stock), parsley, dill, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using your hands, mix together well. With wet hands, roll into balls the size of walnuts and then roll in flour.



§  In a large pan heat the water with the salt. When it is boiling, drain the vegetables and add to the pan.


 Once the vegetables are simmering, add the meatballs. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes until the rice grains are protruding from the meatballs and the vegetables tender. Remove from the heat.

simmering the soup before adding the terbiye/sauce
 

§  Put the egg yolks in a bowl. Add the pinch of salt and whisk with a fork. Add the lemon juice and continue whisking, adding spoonfuls of the hot stock a little at a time. Return this mixture to the pan and on a gentle heat continue stirring until the sauce thickens. Take care not to let it reach a rapid boil as it may curdle.
§  Serve at once garnished with the fresh parsley and dill. If serving as a meal, a rice pilaf would be a good accompaniment. 

afiyet olsun!

Tips
1.       This is the first time that I have actually followed a recipe (it comes from Secrets of the Turkish Kitchen) for this soup as opposed to just following my own inclinations, and the measurements are perfect. However, next time I will add a little more rice as it makes the meatballs look like little hedgehogs. I like that and I remember so did my children!
2.       I also let the mixture cool a bit before I made the sauce. It just reduces the risk of it curdling.

A nice easy, extremely seasonal soup for either lunch or dinner. There is no direct translation for afiyet olsun but basically it means Enjoy! It is said before every meal by the cook to those about to eat!