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Turkish Simit with A Twist

Saturday, May 15, 2021

Simit, Turkish sesame bread ring, is the most well-known and popular street food in Turkey. The dough is first twisted and shaped into a ring, then dipped in a grape molasses solution diluted with water, which helps the seeds stick to the simit and gives them a hint of sweetness. It's crusty, filling and very tasty. Great as a breakfast with butter, cheese and olives, or as an easy lunch with a bowl of soup or simply plain. However, I thought I would experiement it with some beet juice and poppy seeds instead of the more traditional sesame seeds. I guess not all the Turkish friends would approve, but it's FUN. So why not? Sunflower seeds and pepitas would be great as the coating too.

Dough	Topping
170 ml Luke-warm water 30 ml Beetroot juice 12 g Fresh yeast (or 5 g dried yeast) 350 g All purpose flour (I use German#550) 1 tsp Sea salt	4 tbsp Molasses (use grape molasses if you could find some) 3 tbsp Water Poppy seeds

Mix water, beetroot juice and yeast in a bowl. Leave for 5-10 minutes for the yeast to activate.
Mix the flour and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add in yeast mixture. Mix on slow speed for 3-4 minutes until the dough comes together. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5-6 minutes.
Turn out the dough and shape into a ball. Return to the bowl and cover with a plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel. Set aside to proof for 45-60 minutes.
Mix the molasses and water in a bowl until well combined. Divide the dough into 8 even portions. Roll each portion into a 45cm long rope. Take two dough ropes and place them alongside one another. Braid them together and squeeze the two ends together to form a ring. Repeat with the remaining ropes to make 4 simits.
Preheat the oven to 220C/430F. Dip each bread ring into the molasses mixture and coat with poppy seeds. Place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and set aside for 10 minutes.
Bake for about 18 minutes until nicely golden brown and cooked through. Enjoy it with butter while they are still warm.

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Dukkah Eggs with Blistered Pimientos de Padrón

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Coated with dukkah, paired with blistered pimientos de padrón, these eggs are guaranteed to spice up your breakfast or a light lunch. Serve them with your favourite sauce, like hummus, avocado sauce or herbed yoghurt.
Pimientos de padrón or just padron peppers, are small, Spanish green peppers with a sweet mild taste. They're super-simple to make, requiring little prep and just five minutes of cooking. Dukkah is a middle Eastern spice blend consisting of a mixture of herbs, nuts and spices.

4 Medium eggs, at room-temperature
2 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 tbsp Dukkah spice mix
200 g Pimientos de padrón
Flaky sea salt

Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Add eggs and simmer for 6 minutes for soft-boiled eggs. Plunge the eggs into cold water to stop the egg from cooking any further.
Peel the eggs and brush them with one tablespoon of olive oil. Place dukkha on a plate and roll the eggs in the dukkha. Set aside.
Wash the padron peppers and dry well. The drier they are, the better they’ll brown and blister. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over a high heat. Fry the peppers, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until blistered and browned.
Transfer the peppers to a serving plate and season with some sea salt. Sprinkle with some dukkah if desired. Serve with dukkah egg and your favourite sauce.

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Pearl Barley Salad with Wild Garlic Pesto

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

This storecupboard grain with its nutty flavour and chewy texture makes a great alternative to rice or couscous in this filling and delicious salad teamed with red onion, sweet juicy orange, ripe grape tomatoe and a wild garlic pesto. This salad make a great side dish for some roasted chicken or even main meal salad.
Barley comes in two basic forms: hulled and pearl. They are both nutritious, rich in calcium, minerals, iron and potassium and contains lots of soluble and insoluble fiber that supposedly helps with digestion.
Hulled barley has had the tough, inedible outermost hull removed but still retains its bran and endosperm layer. It's brown in colour and nuttier and chewier. The outer bran of pearl barley is removed and the grain polished to a pale, creamy-coloured grain, making it more tender to the bite and faster to cook than the hulled variety.

	Wild Garlic Pesto
250 g Pearly barley 750 ml Water 1 Red onion, diced 1 Orange, peeled and diced 120 g Grape tomatoes, halved 2 tbsp Wild garlic, chopped	100 g Wild garlic leaves 30 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated 1 clove Garlic, finely chopped 1/2 Lemon, zested and juiced 30 g Pine nuts , toasted 80 ml Extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt and pepper

Rinse and roughly chop the wild garlic leaves. Blitz the wild garlic leaves, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, garlic, lemon zest and pine nuts to a rough paste in a food processor. Season, and with the motor running slowly, add in olive oil. Taste, season and add in lemon juice. Transfer the pesto to a clean jar and top with the extra olive oil. Will keep in the fridge for two weeks.
Place the pearl barley in a bowl and add enough water to cover the grain by 1 to 2 inches. Rub it with your fingers, drain the water, and repeat a few times. Transfer the grain into a mesh strainer and rinse under running water. Drain.
Place barley in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes until the barley is al dente. Drain. Refresh under cold running water. Drain again.
Place them in a large bowl. Add in red onion, orange, wild garlic and the pesto. Toss gently to combine.

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Sesame Rolls

Monday, May 10, 2021

These sesame rolls are crispy on the outside and soft, chewy on the inside. The texture actually reminds me of bagels. They are perfect on their own, but also ideal to use as buns for sandwiches. I love it with avocado spread and it would be nice to go with some creamy egg salad too.

250 ml Lukewarm water
7 g Dried yeast
380 g All-purpose flour
1 tsp Salt plus extra for the topping
1 tsp Sugar

Dissolve the yeast in water. Set aside for 5-10 minutes until frothy. In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer combine 1/3 of flour, salt, sugar, and dissolved yeast and mix until blended. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Add in the rest of the flour and knead until smooth.
Grease a bowl or container, put the dough inside, cover with film and let rise until become nearly to double size, about 1 hour.
Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Set aside. Divide the dough into 6 even portions. Using the palm of your hand, roll each portion into a 40 cm long rope. Bring the two ends together, twisting to join them and form a circle. Place them on the prepared baking tray.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F fan-forced. Brush the rolls with the water and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and a little salt. Set them aside to rise for 30 minutes until they're puffy. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until nicely golden.

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Chocolate Peanut Pull-Apart Bread

Saturday, May 08, 2021

The dough is a breeze to make, slightly sweetened with sugar and enriched with melted butter and egg. I used a mixture of dark chocolate, roasted peanuts and butter for the filling. You can replace peanuts with other nuts or simply use chunky peanut butter with cinnamon chips. Nutella and chopped hazelnuts would be great as the filling too. The bread is best enjoyed warm, while the chocolate still warm and fluid, but it still tastes wonderful after it cools.

Dough	Filling & Topping
180 ml Wholemilk, lukewarm 25 g Fresh yeast 1 Egg, medium 35 g Butter, melted 35 g Sugar 1 Vanilla bean, split and scraped 370 g All-purpose flour 1/3 tsp Salt	80 g Butter, melted 150 g Salted roasted peanuts, finely chopped 30 g Butter, cut into small pieces 2 tbsp Brown sugar 100 g Dark chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)

Combine milk and yeast, stir and set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes, untill is gets foamy.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, add in egg, melted butter, sugar, scraped vanilla seeds and yeast/milk mixture. Stir on slow speed to combine. Add in flour and salt and beat at slow speed for 5 minutes until the dough comes together. Increase the speed and knead until dough is smooth and elastic.
Transfer to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it proof at room temperature, until it almost doubles its size.
Grease and line a 30x11cm loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough into 50x30cm / 20x12 inch rectangle. Brush the rectangle with melted butter. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts and chocolate over.
Using a very sharp knife or a pizza cutter, slice the dough vertically into 6 equal sized strips from top to bottom. Stack 6 strips on top of each other, and cut into 6 sections. Place them accordion like into the prepared loaf pan.
Cover the loaf pan with a clean kitchen towel, and allow to rise again in a warm place for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
Place the butter pieces on the top and sprinkle the brown sugar over. Bake the dough for 32-40 minutes in the middle of or until a deep golden brown. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes then place on cooling rack to cool completely.

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Spicy Asian Chicken Salad

Thursday, May 06, 2021

A delicious and light chicken salad that ain't drowning in mayo and perfect for leftover roasted chicken. The fun part of this salad is the spicy sesame dressing, which would be good for soba noodle salad too. It is simple, tangy and so delicious! The salad is packed with flavour and high in protein that keeps you satisfied and keep the calories low.

Salad	Spicy Sesame Dressing
300 g Leftover roasted chicken, shredded 2 Lebanese cucumbers, cut into matchsticks 4 Celery stalks, trimmed, cut into matchsticks 1 Baby carrot, shredded Fresh coriander or flat parsley leaves, chopped 1/2 Red chilli pepper, diced	2 tsp Rice vinegar 1 tbsp Roasted sesame oil 1 tsp Minced ginger 1 tsp Light soya sauce 1/2 tsp Dried chilli flakes

Shred chicken. Place in a large bowl. Add cucumber, celery, carrot, coriander / flat parsley, and chilli pepper.
Combine rice vinegar, sesame oil,, minced ginger, soya sauce and chilli flakes in a jug. Stir to combine. Pour over salad. Toss to combine and serve.

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Search Angie's Recipes

Featured Recipe: 85 Recipes that highlight the beloved humble Pumpkin

Turkish Simit with A Twist

Dukkah Eggs with Blistered Pimientos de Padrón

Pearl Barley Salad with Wild Garlic Pesto

Sesame Rolls

Chocolate Peanut Pull-Apart Bread

Spicy Asian Chicken Salad

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Search Angie's Recipes

Featured Recipe: 85 Recipes that highlight the beloved humble Pumpkin

Turkish Simit with A Twist

Dukkah Eggs with Blistered Pimientos de Padrón

Pearl Barley Salad with Wild Garlic Pesto

Sesame Rolls

Chocolate Peanut Pull-Apart Bread

Spicy Asian Chicken Salad

Subscribe via Email

Angie

If you enjoy my recipes and want to support me, THANKS!

Friends

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Subscribe To

Follow me with Feedly & Email

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