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!" 

Week 4 - Nicaragua

NACATAMALES

For our first foray into the Americas I really wanted to tackle the Nacatamal, an epic breakfast dish from Nicaragua.  However, after reading through several recipes, it became apparent that this would be a good time to make our first trip out for breakfast.  Lucky for us, Toronto has an excellent Nicaraguan restaurant right downtown....


La Bella Managua, located just a little bit east of Ossington Station on Bloor Street is a great little restaurant that until now had escaped my attention.  The service was friendly, the atmosphere was fun and authentic, and the food was great!  (we weren't the only ones to think so, we caught a glimpse of singer-songwriter Feist dining here during our visit)  But this isn't a restaurant review, let's get on to the breakfast.

Breakfast in Nicaragua most typically wouldn't feature the Nacatamal.   On a day-to-day basis most people have Gallo Pinto - a very popular dish right across Central America made with rice and beans.  The Nacatamal is a dish most often reserved for special occasions like Christmas and the preparation usually involves the whole family and several hours of work.  However it is unique to Nicaragua and has such an interesting combination of flavours that I really wanted to feature it.

What is a Nacatamal?  Basically it's a mash of corn masa topped with various ingredients wrapped in banana or plaintain leaves that's then steamed or pressure cooked for several hours.

When I excitedly opened my Nacatamal I found a dizzing array of ingredients.  Besides the corn masa there was pork, potatoes, tomatoes, rice, bell peppers, capers, olives, raisins and spearmint leaves!  And it was all served with a side of tortillas and a great hot sauce.

The filling was soft and had a strong savoury tomato flavour with a hint of mint.  Although it sounds unusual, the mint really added a great finesse to this dish.  It was such a huge mass of food with so many flavours and textures (something that would've terrified me growing up), but the mint kept it from feeling too heavy and cloying.

Here's the Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:

The Nacatamal features many difficult to find ingredients and takes hours of preparation.

For Degrees of Separation:

For Guestability:






This was a tough one to judge.   It would surely impress, but the extensive preparation needed would make it difficult to serve before lunch.


For Sustainability:

We weren't hungry for hours after this one.

Overall Appeal: 

The Nacatamal and our general experience at La Bella Managua has left me sold on Nicaraguan cuisine.  There were so many unique flavour combinations and the food felt fresh and light despite being exceptionally hearty.  It was a unique breakfast experience to say the least.

Join us next week (same breakfast time, same breakfast url) as we celebrate the Olympics with a breakfast from Greece!

Week 3 - Naashta - India, Part II

Part II - POORAN PURI

I love making flatbreads at home. Unfortunately, flatbreads do not always love me back.  Nothing beats a lovely fresh Naan, Roti, Pita, Tortilla, etc. or the elation you feel when you've finally mastered the recipe.  (Or the devastation when you chew through a greasy, tough lump.)  Deceptively simple, these recipes require a knowing touch, the right kitchen conditions, elbow grease, and just a little help from the "Gods of Bread".

Our experiment with Pooran Puri was one of those times when it just didn't quite come together.  In the end it was still delicious, but not quite the tender slightly chewy goodness I imagined it could be.

Pooran Puri is essentially a flatbread filled with a sweet, cardamom-spiced chick pea filling.  Like Khichdi, it is popular throughout the Indian subcontinent with many variations and alternate names.  (Puran Puri, Holige, Obbattu to name a few.)  It's normally cooked for special occasions and I suspect, is one of those recipes that little girls learn to perfect early with their mothers.

Since we had company, I snuck out of bed quite early to try to get breakfast ready at a decent hour.  For a first-time maker these were quite intensive and I would estimate that they probably took a good hour and a half to complete.

First I created the dough out of oil, atta flour, all-purpose flour and boiling water.  Then while the dough was resting, I made the chick pea filling by boiling the chick peas until soft and mashing them in a food processor with copious amounts of sugar, cardamom and a touch of nutmeg and coconut.

Here's the tricky part - you roll the chick pea filling into small balls and then roll the dough into slightly smaller balls.   Using a tortilla press you flatten the dough ball and place the chick pea filling  inside.  Then using the tortilla press again, flatten the whole thing into its final flatbread shape.  (Not that I imagine cooks in India using tortilla presses, but I find it a handy tool!)

This was where my Puran Poli went slightly askew.  My dough wasn't strong enough and when I flattened it the final time with the Tortilla Press, chick pea filling squirted out all over the place.  We ended up frying the less than beautiful Puris anyways and they still tasted great.  (Kudos to Jon for his super skills frying these up.) We served them with fruit and yogurt but traditionally they're served dipped in ghee or coconut milk and spices.  They tasted super sweet, had a very strong cardamom flavour and were a hit with our house guests who said that they preferred them over the Khichdi.

The Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:

These were really tricky and required a team effort.

For Degrees of Separation:

For Guestability:

For Sustainability:

Overall Appeal:

Both items we tried from India this week were very labour intensive.  Between the two, I preferred the Khichdi but I do think the Puran Puri has the potential to be outstanding.  Perhaps it's a recipe to come back to another day.

Next week we dine out!  Join us as we explore the breakfast of Nicaragua....