This One Takes the Cake

The self-ish side of me says to not share this Iranian bakery secret with you but I am feeling nice today! The above is a picture of what I consider a "suped-up" roulette cake. The cake itself is quite basic; you have the choice of vanilla, mocha, and chocolate usually. A typical roulette cake is about $12.99 from the bakery. This "suped-up" roulette cake was one whole dollar more because it was covered in white chocolate shavings and also had chocolate covered strawberries on-top.

The cake was absolutely beautiful, and the best part is that the sweetness is mild. I don't know what they do differently with their whip-cream but it has a semi-sweetness that leaves you wanting more cake, rather than a glass of water.

All pastries are made fresh daily at Urban Bakery. I would highly recommend bringing one of their desserts next time you are going to a dinner party. The cake's are priced very reasonably and are sure to start a conversation. I should mention that I am not a baker whatsoever, I will be trying my hand at baking in the future with my sister's guidance as that is her area of expertise! I think for $12.99 I'll leave it up to the pro's for now.

http://urbangate.ca/

The Start of an Egg-cellent Day

My absolute favorite breakfast has to be a sunny-side up egg, with a touch of spice of course. This breakfast takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish and is a healthy way to start your day. The ingredients consist of the following:

·         eggs (1 or 2 per person)

·         olive oil

·         salt, pepper, turmeric or saffron, cinnamon

·         romaine lettuce or endive

·         diced fresh tomato

·         your choice of bread (I use pita or sanghak)

Preparation:

Heat your non-stick pan and add a touch of olive oil, fry your egg sunny-side up for about 5 minutes on medium heat and add seasoning (touch of salt, pepper, turmeric or saffron whichever you prefer, and a bit of cinnamon gives a wonderful aroma). Be careful not to let the yolk turn hard, it is best to have the egg whites cooked and a soft yolk for dipping. I have recently started using one of those cute single-serving sized pan's and it works great, your guaranteed a perfect egg every time!

Prepare your breakfast plate with a few freshly washed leaves of romaine lettuce or endive, both provide a nice contrast of fresh crispness to the egg. Dice half a tomato into medium sized cubes or slices. I also like throw a bit of cheese in the mix; a slice of laughing cow or feta add's another great element to the dish.

Enjoy mixing all the flavors and making bit sized sandwiches with either pita bread or sanghak. If you prefer traditional toast you can also layer the ingredients and make an open faced breakfast sandwich. Every bite will be absolutely delicious and I guarantee you will never cook eggs the same old way. Have fun with it and give this recipe a try.

For a list of nutritional benefits and fun facts about eggs check out this link:

http://www.getcracking.ca/dozenreasons.html

I Dream of Aubergine

Meet Kashk-e-Bademjan; Close relative of the more commonly known Baba-Ganoush. This Iranian spread makes for a great appetizer or addition to a dinner party; filled with all the spices and aroma you could possibly ask for. Both my brother and I are huge fan's of this dip (so my fellow Westerners, you might just like it too!) Here are the basic ingredients of the dish:

Eggplant

Olive oil

Salt

Onion

Kashk  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashk

Garlic

Fresh mint/basil/or radish for decoration

Preparation:

Peel 3-5 Japanese eggplants (serves 5-8 people depending on their size). Cut into eggplant into quarters, thick slices. Place in warm salty water (to remove/reduce bitterness) for a few minutes.

Dry the eggplants and toss it in a sauté pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Brown lightly. Stir a bit; add couple teaspoons of oil, and brown a bit more.

Add a teeny bit of water to keep moist and avoid burning, stir and add some salt, pepper, and scrape browned eggplant from the bottom of the pan, and cook until it is soft and mushy.

Peel and chop a medium onion (1.5 cups) and 3 to 4 garlic cloves and saute in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Brown the onions until richly caramelised on a medium flame. Total preperation time for this dish is approximatley 1 hour from start to finish. I know that may sound like a long time but you can leave the eggplant to simmer away while you take a break.

Décor:

Fresh mint, basil, or chopped radish all add great color and taste as  an edible garnish. Drizzle some kashk on top – base the amount you add according to how much you like the flavor. If the kashk is too thick, dilute it in a bit of water. Finally, grab your favorite flatbread (I suggest Sangak or Pita), scoop and enjoy!

I should mention that Kashk-e-Badamjan can be bought ready-to-serve in an Iranian grocery (how Western of them!) If you do purchase the ready made spread, heat it up at home in a saute pan and add garlic/salt/olive oil/kashk to taste and you will be able to fool the best of them!

For the Love of Carbs

The above picture is one of my many weaknesses within the wide scope of Iranian cuisine, behold Sangak bread. Its name consists of two parts: 'Sang' in Persian means stone or pebble and 'sangak' means little stone. The reason for this goes back to the way this bread has been traditionally baked: on a bed of hot tiny river stones in an oven. There are, normally, two varieties of this bread offered at Iranian bakeries: the generic one which has no toppings and the slightly more expensive variety which is topped with poppy seeds or sesame seeds.

Sangak can now be found at Costco; however, I find that it is freshest and very reasonably priced when purchased at a local Mediterranean/ Iranian grocery. Each portion comes in a long rectangular shape, I suggest cutting into squares (similar size to traditional toast) and freeze in a plastic bag for freshness. This bread tastes great toasted, be careful to not toast for too long as it tends to burn easily.

I enjoy sangak with just about any topping; feta cheese & fresh basil leaves, goat cheese, or nutella is a delicious topping if you are having a sweet-craving!

Served in the Hottest of Seasons

Warning! Consuming the beverage mentioned in this blog will cause extreme feelings of mediocrity when comparing all others. Tea a la Menthe, or mint tea as the west would call it is one of the staples among Middle Eastern households and cafes.

I was shocked to observe local Tunisians drinking hot tea at all hours of the day, even when temperatures were on average 35 + degrees and I could barely keep a touch of make-up from sliding down my face. After my initial shock, I learned that drinking hot tea increases your internal temperature more closely related to the external temperature, and therefore helps you to regulate your body temperature better. 

The recipe is simple and can be made with few ingredients; fresh mint leaves, sugar, boiled water, and pine nuts for aroma and texture. Preparation is the same as you would prepare any fresh leaf tea.

Who says dessert can't come First

Whoever says that dessert can't be served first has never experienced a Middle Eastern boulangerie. During my travel to Tunisia in 2009 I was fortunate enough to live, eat, and breathe the middle eastern culture from a locals perspective, filled with all the insight to the tastiest 4am chocolate croissant's you could possibly eat. For 3 weeks a group of friends and I stayed in the culture-rich city of Hammamet, Tunisia. The above photo is an assortment of arabic pastries from a boulangerie called The Canary. You would commonly see such pastries served before or after a meal with tea. Middle Eastern desserts are typically not as sweet as the westerners palette are accustomed to; a nice change I find given the refreshing addition of natural nuts such as pistachios, and unique appearance.

If Tunisia is not your next planned destination, fear not, you can get your fix of semi-sweet pastries without the costly airfare. I am speaking the truth when I say "no more than one block away from a Mediterranean grocery awaits the suttle storefront of an Iranian bakery filled with delicious pastries calling your name". Or at least is it true where I live. 

The Vancouver/Tri-City area is home to many wonderful Middle Eastern bakery's such as: Rex Bakery, North Vancouver. Yaas Bakery, North Vancouver. Urban Gate Grill/Bakery/Grocery, located in Coquitlam. Minoo Bakery, Coquitlam.  Just to name of my few favorites.

Not just your average goldfish

The goldfish is a symbol of life, health, and happiness in various cultures including the Iranian culture; qualities all of which I believe can be directly reflected by your diet. By incorporating a touch of spice, and color to your diet I have found that it makes both cooking and eating more exciting. My first "West marries Middle-East" dish is soon to be blogged about!

I also look forward to sharing a few staple food items that I regularly stock-up on to make meals and snacks simple to prepare. The majority of the produce, spices, and baking supplies can be found in your local Mediterranean grocery. All poultry comes from Costco, yes, I like a good deal when I see one!