WORLD CUISINE - WEEK 6

World cuisine week 6 

This week we moved from Greece to Turkey. I don't know anything about Turkey but judging by the cuisine of Turkey, I'd have to say it would be an excellent place to visit. The food we made this week was exciting to me in a way that i was not expecting. The food has complex and well developed flavor profiles and a blend of freshness with earthy and rustic tones as well. 

Our class seemed to be a little more together this week as the members of my group were on point. I think we produced some good food that is noteworthy.

Here's the menu-

Incir Compostu:

These are figs in syrup. The figs were dried so we reconstituted them in some water then we stuffed them with some blanched almonds and then sauteed them in the same water and made a simple syrup but added some port wine to enhance flavors. They were quite tasty and the almonds provided a little tooth to balance the softness of the figs. I know some people don't like figs, I would encourage them to give this fruit another chance.

Havuc Plakisi:

Braised carrots. These were good and fairly simple. The only thing about braising carrots is that you must pay enough attention to them to ensure they do not burn or are under cooked. They were good and tender and retained the flavor of the carrot pretty well.

Balik Koftesi:

These are deep fried fish balls. They are surprisingly good. I think they would have been a little better had they been a little smaller to balance the crispy outside with the soft inside. But they were still very good. One person likened them to Long John Silver's, oh for shame. Anyhow, they are served here with a yogurt and cucumber sauce similar to what you might see in a Gyro.

Sis Kebap:

It is pretty obvious where we get the English term for this dish. The meat is lamb. Lamb is good, it is a little different for the American used to eating beef, but I really like lamb. It is packed with flavors, but can sometimes feel a little dry so care needs to be taken not to overcook lamb. These are obviously grilled and have the taste of caramelization all over them. They were served with rice.

Midye Dolmasi:

Stuffed mussels. They were first cooked on the grill just enough to get them to open up and then they were stuffed with rice and finished in a pan. They were excellent. I like mussels so these were a nice variation, for the non mussel lover I doubt this would change their mind. They were served with a sauce made of oil, vinegar and hazelnuts. The hazelnut flavors grew in the sauce as it stood.

Domates Salatasi:

This is a tomato, cucumber and olive salad. It is simple and good and fresh. 

Kabak Kizartmasi:

These are eggplant and zucchini fritters. They call them fritters even though they can be grilled or battered and deep fried. The other group made the deep fried version, but I preferred the grilled version. I think the grill marks mixed with the more pure flavors that are retained from fast grilling over high heat stand out and speak for themselves well. They were served with the same yogurt and cucumber sauce as the fish balls, and these two made an excellent combination. They sauce has a bit of tangy-ness that really goes well with the zucchini.