Week 8 - Lebanon

KNEFE

And the mystery breakfast is......Knefe from Lebanon!

Knefe (alternatively spelled kanafeh, knafeh, knefeh, kanafa) is one of those foods that instantly entranced me.  I couldn't wait for the weekend to tackle this recipe.

Researching and shopping for our Lebanese breakfast was an eye-opening experience.  I've had my fair share of Shawarma and have even experimented at home with Za'atar and Sumac, but that didn't prepare me for the wonders at Arz Fine Foods (1909 Lawrence Ave. East).  I love visiting new grocery stores and Arz Fine Foods was a wonderland of interesting pastries (the Baklava selection - wow!), fruits, breads, and sundry items.  In fact, while shopping for ingredients to make Knefe at home, we actually came upon a cafe in the store that sold Knefe ready to eat!

Are you wondering yet what Knefe is?  Here's the scoop:  you take a soft, white cheese called Akawi and bake it sandwiched in-between layers of Kataifi mixed with butter.  (Kataifi is a very fine, shredded phyllo dough)  Then you take a fresh sesame bun called a Ka'ak Knefe and place a piece of the Knefe in the bun.  Finally you drizzle with a syrup infused with Rose or Orange Water.

Knefe in it's various forms (there's also a dessert version) is found all over the Middle East, and in Lebanon it's a classic pick-me-up after a hard night out on the town.  People don't often make this one at home but go out and get it from their local bakery instead.

The Knefe we tried from Arz was sweet! (literally)  The syrup reminded me of honey and although cheese with bread on more bread initially sounds like too much white, once you taste it you realize it's more like a breaded protein on a bun  (which isn't very strange at all).  This one got a big thumbs up from Jonny.  It was soft, sweet, warm and comforting, if a tad heavy.

The Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:






For Degrees of Separation:





For Guestability:





For Sustainability:

Overall Appeal:






I see many more stops at Arz Fine Foods for me in the future, preferably around breakfast....

Later this week we head to South-East Asia for a double-header that features Singaporean and Filipino cuisine, stay tuned!

Week 7 - Morgenmad - Denmark

ØLLEBRØD

Today's blog entry is dedicated to my Grandma P. who came to Canada from Denmark many years ago.  Enjoy!

Breakfast or Morgenmad in Denmark is a simple affair.  Coffee (a staple in every country it seems), various rolls, cold cuts, cheeses, and jam is the norm for most people.  Other alternatives include Ymerdrys (danish yogurt with a rye bread granola topping), cereal or porridge.  

What about the famous Danish pastry you ask?  Well, although it is popular for breakfast, after some research I discovered that the eponymous pastry actually has Viennese heritage!  Apparently, when the bakers of Denmark went on strike in 1850, bakers from foreign countries, including Austria, were brought in to fill the pastry gap.  Not familiar with Danish pastries the Viennese bakers baked what they knew.  The Wienerbrod (Viennese bread) was instantly popular and voila, the "Danish" was born.  Now of course, Danish bakers have taken the pastry, made it their own and it's become popular around the world.

But for today's entry I wanted something more traditional and simply Danish... Enter the Øllebrød!

When translated, Øllebrød simply means beer-bread and basically it's a warm porridge made from left-over rye bread and beer.  (doesn't that sound delicious?)  It was a staple in Danish cuisine until sometime in the 1800's and there are two theories as to it's origins.  One is that it was invented by Monks who used to dip their old rye bread in beer.  Another says that it was a classic peasant dish, wherein a big pot was kept on the hearth all-day, everyday and as needed old rye bread and beer was thrown in.

Either way, although it's an old-fashioned recipe, from what I can tell Øllebrød has made somewhat of a comeback.  Partly due to renewed public interest in "vintage" recipes and partly due to it's place on the menu of the Copenhagen restaurant Noma.  Rated the #1 in the world, this Danish restaurant focuses on using regional ingredients and culture to sculpt their cuisine.  If Øllebrød was good enough for them, I figured we should give it a go.

Simple enough to make, I concocted a recipe using inspiration from the classic Øllebrød recipe and Noma's version.  The porridge was made using rye bread, beer, water, sugar, lemon juice and a dash of vanilla.  We topped that with sweetened whipped cream and some delicious homemade rye bread croutons.

For such a simple recipe, Øllebrød packed a ton of flavour.  It was tart, sweet, yeasty, bitter and just a little bit salty (from the croutons).  We decided it was probably an acquired taste and although extremely foreign to our palates was one of those dishes that would be craved by those that grew up with it.

The Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:

If you have an hour or so, you can have Øllebrød.  It wins bonus points for being made with ingredients commonly found in our pantry.

For Degrees of Separation:

Although it resembles porridge, the flavour was far different from anything I've ever tried.

For Guestability:

This would be a really challenging meal to serve guests - unless of course, they're Danish!

For Sustainability:

This is one hearty breakfast, chock full of fiber and protein.

Overall appeal: 

It was fun to delve a little bit in Danish food history and I feel inspired to look into other dishes.  However, I don't know that Øllebrød will be making it back onto our breakfast table in the near future.  It was just a touch too challenging for our taste buds in the morning.

The last two weeks everything's been coming up breakfast!  We've been a little bit breakfast happy and have several breakfasts saved up to show you.  So join us in the coming week for a mystery breakfast.  Will it be Cuban, Lebanese, Singaporean or Filipino......?  (or all of the above)

Week 6 - The Fry Up - England

“To eat well in England you should have breakfast three times a day.”

W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965)

As the London 2012 Olympics wind down we want to join in the celebrations, breakfast-style.  So allow us to present:  THE FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST.

The Full English breakfast or the Fry Up, is one of England's best culinary inventions.  It's the epitome of a hearty breakfast and can include an astounding number of foods:  sausage (bangers), bacon (rashers), blood pudding, white pudding, some form of potato (hashbrown, patty, bubble and squeak), eggs, baked beans, fried tomato, fried mushrooms, and toast.

On our recent honeymoon to London we made sure to try a proper English fry-up.  We went to an awesome cafe, complete with workaday customers and no-nonsense staff...

 The service was quick, the breakfast was salty and delicious, and we were well satisfied until lunchtime...

The Full English Breakfast in London, England

When recreating the Full English at home, we had sausage, bacon, eggs, Bubble and Squeak, fried tomatoes, baked beans and of course, a strong cup of coffee.

Our version at home

As the Full English breakfast long ago transplanted itself into diners across Canada and the USA, this one wasn't new to us.  However there were some differences to what we eat here in North America.  Namely the fried tomato, baked beans and Bubble and Squeak.

The 411 on Bubble and Squeak

Bubble and Squeak is a fried hash made with left-over potatoes, cabbage and whatever other vegetables you have languishing in your fridge.  The story is that as you fry it, it "bubbles" and "squeaks".   And you know what?  It really did!

The Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:

It didn't take too long to prepare but it did require some serious time-management skills to make sure it was ready all at once.

For Degrees of Separation:

This one probably came as close to home as we'll get during this journey.

For Guestability:

Everyone loves a proper Fry-Up.

For Sustainability:

This breakfast included not one, not two, not three, but FOUR proteins!  We didn't need lunch...

Overall Appeal:

The Full English wasn't a surprise in anyway, but it went down as a favourite nonetheless.  I loved the variety, and really, who doesn't love bacon?

So the Full English breakfast satisfied my English roots, join us next time as we explore what my Danish ancestors ate...

Week 5 - πρωινό - Greece

BOUGATSA

Welcome to a special Olympic edition of our breakfast tour.  Today's edition features breakfast from the country where it all began - Greece!

Breakfast in Greece is actually quite a simple affair.  Most Grecians start their day off with a simple cup of coffee - that's it.  Lucky for this blog, they get hungry a little later on in the morning and around 11 o'clock will stop for a little something to tide them over to lunch, often a pastry from their local bakery.

One such pastry is the Bougatsa.  Made in small shops all over Greece (but originating in Crete), Bougatsa is a phyllo dough pastry made with a filling of lemony semolina custard and a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar.  (other common fillings are cheese or meat)

This recipe was a little bit daunting to make.  Producing a lump-free custard required lots of patience at the stove (plus a little help from the sieve later on).  And getting the right thickness of phyllo crust required some good old-fashioned trial and error.  At one piece the filling exploded out of the shell, at two it still looked a little anemic, but Goldilocks was finally happy at three....

Bougatsa won my heart immediately.  The phyllo was crisp and buttery (I used ghee for a more buttery flavour), and the combination of the warm lemon custard filling and the cinnamon was so simple and so delicious!

The Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:

Making Bougatsa wasn't really as hard as I expected and could be done relatively quickly with some practice.

For Degrees of Separation:

It's not Khichdi, but it's not exactly jam and toast either.

For Guestability:

Imagine your guests waking up to warmly baked Greek pastries!   Mmmmmm.....

For Sustainability:

We were full after just one piece but once you eat one....

Overall Appeal:

I usually try to do a fair average here, but Bougatsa gets bonus points because it was so scrumptious!

Greece was stellar but I'm sure England won't disappoint us.  Join us next week as "me and the Old Pot and Pan try some Bubble and Squeak in the old Cat and Mouse!"