Flatbread Filled With Greens And 3 Kinds Of Cheeses

Hi! I'm now working from Wordpress. I've spent a great deal of time editing and reorganising this post on Wordpress and it is so much friendlier to read & follow my recipe from there. Click on this link to take you directly to the recipe:

Flatbread Filled With Greens And 3 Kinds Of Cheeses

Link to my newest and old recipes, click:

https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

You could choose almost any leafy greens but I like kale with a mix of dill and mint. That, plus a combination of 3 cheeses makes for an interesting tasting flatbread. Notice the flecks of green in the dough? More kale! 

I watched an episode of Rick Stein not too long ago and he was cooking somewhere in Turkey. What I could not get out of my head was this Turkish flatbread that the village women, dressed in their everyday village attire were preparing and frying up. 

The whole scene was so raw and real. It was as if they were cooking the food of their ancestors which of course they were. The flatbreads were simply prepared as flatbreads usually are and it looked delicious.

The women sat on the dirt floor, knees drawn up to their chest, huddled over huge wood-burned hotplates so large, I would not be able to encircle it with my arms. One woman would deftly roll out the dough into very wide thin rounds and half fill it with chopped leafy vegetables and feta before she folded it shut with a thin metre long dowel, followed by a quick seal of edges by nimble fingers. Thrown in one swift movement to the awaiting hotplate, it landed expertly and cooked speedily. Healthy fast food for a change!

Rick Stein oohed and aahed as he was served a pipping hot one and referred to the flatbread as 'gozleme', its Turkish name. It reminds me of the Armenian version called, 'jingalov hats' which are filled with even more green leafy vegetables.

The whole process fascinated me -from the rolling out of the dough, filling it in, flattening, sealing it shut and cooking it on a hotplate. So I had to make my own and here it is. I am glad I did. It is soft and delicious, just as I expected it to be. 

What to serve with these you might wonder. Scroll down to 'Tips' for lots of suggestions. 

This goes really well with my Pineapple Ginger Lime Beer.

FLATBREADS FILLED WITH GREENS AND 3 KINDS OF CHEESES

Prep:	1 hour
Cook:	~ 30 minutes
Inactive:	Dough rise time ~ 30 - 60 minutes
Level:	Difficult as it has multiple steps
Makes:	Four 9" (23cm) half-moons flatbreads
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	Up to 2 hours but best freshly made

Just the ingredients The kale 10.58oz (300g) fresh kale (for use in dough and filling) The dough Dry ingredients ~2 and 1/4 cups (10.8oz) (306g) bread or all-purpose/plain flour 1 and 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar Wet ingredients 1 and 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup blanched kale or blanched/frozen spinach 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup water The filling 3/4 cup (and up to a total of 1 and 1/4 cups) blanched kale OR 3/4 cup blanched or frozen spinach 1 cup mix of 3 grated cheeses I like a mix of 3 cheeses, in varying ratios (to your taste) with at least one mildly flavoured goat cheese included in the mix. If you are not into goat cheese, then include one strong or sharply flavoured cheese. If not, the filling will taste pretty flat. 2 Tablespoons chopped dill 1 Tablespoons chopped mint 1/3 cup finely diced onions 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt For brushing flatbread ~ 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients

The kale
10.58oz (300g) fresh kale 
Weight before stalks are trimmed and kale is blanched.

The dough

Dry ingredients
~2 and 1/4 cups (10.8oz) (306g) bread or all-purpose/plain flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Wet ingredients
1 and 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup blanched kale or blanched/frozen spinach
1/2 cup water
To puree 1/4 cup of blanched kale
1/4 cup water

Filling
3/4 cup (and up to a total of 1 and 1/4 cups) blanched kale
OR
3/4 cup blanched or frozen spinach
If using blanched/frozen spinach, adjust water for dough accordingly.
1 cup mix of 3 grated cheeses
I like a mix of 3 cheeses, in varying ratios (to your taste) with at least one mildly flavoured goat cheese included in the mix. If you are not into goat cheese, then include one strong or sharply flavoured cheese. If not, the filling will taste pretty flat.
2 Tablespoons chopped dill
1 Tablespoons chopped mint
1/3 cup finely diced onions
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

For brushing flatbread
~1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method

The kale

Remove the entire tough stem of each leaf of kale. It's too tough to use for this recipe. Please scroll down to 'Tips' to find out how I use the stems.

Kale leaves can hold quite a bit of dirt so clean and wash them well. Drain and use your hands to tear them into 2" (5cm) strips.

Blanch the kale into a pot of boiling salted water for 1 - 1.5 minutes. The aim is to soften the leaves and not to cook them entirely. 

Drain the kale and immerse them into a cold water bath to stop the cooking.

Drain the kale thoroughly and squeeze out all excess water. 

Use a measuring cup to compress 1 cup of kale. 

Remove 1/4 cup of it for the dough. Set aside. 

Reserve the remaining 3/4 cup for the filling.  

If you have any excess kale, you can use up to an additional 1/2 cup more of kale on top of the 3/4 cup (for the filling). No point wasting.

The dough 

Puree the 1/4 cup of blanched kale with the 1/2 cup of water. Set aside.

Using a machine

Add all the dried ingredients into your mixer bowl and mix well.

Pour in the kale puree. Add the extra virgin olive oil.

Remember the 1/4 cup of water? Pour that in now but reserve ~1 Tablespoon of it.

Start your machine on low to avoid a powder puff of flour in your face and gradually work up the speed to medium-high.

After 5 minutes or so, the dough would have come together. 

If the dough looks very sticky, add 1 Tablespoon of flour and let the machine run for 1 minute. If necessary, add more flour in increments of 1 Tablespoon but you really should not need to add flour. The final dough will be slightly sticky. It is better to finish off with a moist, slightly sticky dough than a dry dough as the latter often bakes into dry bread.

If the dough looks at all dry, add the reserved 1 Tablespoon of water and let the machine run for 1 minute. If necessary, add more water in increments of 1 Tablespoon but you really should not need to add any more water beyond a total of 3 extra Tablespoons. The final dough will be slightly sticky. As mentioned, keep in mind that it is better to finish off with a moist, slightly sticky dough than a dry dough as the latter often bakes into dry bread.

When is the dough kneaded enough? With my KitchenAid, in about 7 - 10 minutes.

The dough should be not at all tight but very pliable and smooth.

Do the 'window pane' test. Pinch off a handful of dough. Stretch it. If it stretches easily and you can achieve a translucent membrane before the dough tears, all is well.

Divide into 4 balls. I like to weigh and then divide equally.

Brush each ball with extra virgin olive oil so that it does not dry out. Cover with plastic wrap and let them double in size, ~ 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Prepare the filling whilst you wait.

Using your hands

In a large mixing bowl, mix up all the dry ingredients.

Pour in the kale puree. Add the extra virgin olive oil.

Remember the 1/4 cup of water? Pour that in now but reserve ~1 Tablespoon of it..

Work the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spoon. Switch to your hands once the spoon becomes useless and try and gather the dough into a ball.

If the dough looks very sticky, add 1 Tablespoon of flour and work it in. If necessary, add more flour in increments of 1 Tablespoon but you really should not need to add flour. The final dough will be slightly sticky. It is better to finish off with a moist, slightly sticky dough than a dry dough as the latter often bakes into dry bread.

If the dough looks at all dry, add the reserved 1 Tablespoon of water and work it in. If necessary, add more water in increments of 1 Tablespoon but you really should not need to add any more water beyond a total of 3 extra Tablespoons. The final dough will be slightly sticky. As mentioned, keep in mind that it is better to finish off with a moist, slightly sticky dough than a dry dough as the latter often bakes into dry bread.

Transfer the dough into your work top and start kneading the dough. 

Flatten dough, pull the far edge in towards you as if you are trying to fold the dough almost in half. 

With the heal of your palms, press down and push the dough out away from you.

Continue with this kneading. You might want to rotate the dough as you pull and push out the dough.

How long will it take? 15 minutes or so or until you have a dough that is not at all tight but very pliable and smooth.  You might want to add 1/2 Tablespoon of water if you think the dough is just too tight despite continuous kneading.

Do the 'window pane' test. Pinch off a handful of dough. Stretch it. If it stretches easily and you can achieve a translucent membrane before the dough tears, all is well.

Divide into 4 balls. I like to weigh and then divide equally.

Brush each ball with extra virgin olive oil so that it does not dry out. Cover with plastic wrap and let them double in size, ~ 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Prepare the filling whilst you wait. 

The filling

Dice up the kale into smaller pieces.

Mix the 3/4 cup kale (and up to 1/2 cup more kale if you are trying to use up any excess kale), finely diced onions, chopped dill and mint, the cheese(s) and the pepper. Divide into 4 equal portions.

Have the salt nearby but do not add it in.

Assembling

Once your dough has doubled in size and your filling has been prepared, you can start to cook.

Have the following ready:

• Filling
• Salt
• Flour for dusting
• ~1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil for brushing over tops of flatbread
• Rolling pin
• 9" (23cm) Heavy base frying pan. 
• Spatula to turn the flatbread
• Vessel to set down your cooked flatbread

Heat up a wide base nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat but keep it closer to medium range. I use my 9" (23cm) base pan. No need to add oil.

Flour you work surface. 

Place one dough ball on the work surface, flatten with the palm of your hand and flour both sides of the dough.

Roll the dough out to a size that will fit into your frying pan. In this case it is 9" (23cm).

Fill with one portion of filling and sprinkle with salt to taste.

Press the edges with your fingers to seal but just before your seal the last 1" (2.5cm), pat the filling down to help distribute it evenly and to dispel air pockets, then seal the last 1" (2.5cm).

Secure the edges further by crimping with a fork or use your fingers to pinch in.

When the pan is hot, transfer the shaped dough into it. Fry on one side for about 4 minutes or until most of the bottom is golden brown. The dough will puff up.

Flip and cook for a further 4 minutes or until most of this flipped side turns golden brown.

How long it takes to cook depends, on how hot your pan gets. If the pan is too hot, it will brown quickly but the dough might not be cooked, so keep an eye and adjust the burner accordingly.

Remove from the pan, brush the top side of the dough with extra virgin olive oil.  Repeat process with the rest of the dough.

Taste best served straight away.

What to pair with flatbreads? Scroll down to 'Tips' for suggestions.

Tips

What to do with the kale stalks?

• Slice them at an angle into long diagonals. Flash fry them chinese style with a bit of garlic in oil. Season with soy sauce and salt or perhaps some chicken granules.
• Dice them and add them in when making fried rice. It gives a nice crunch.
• Personally, I cook, grind and add it into my dog's dinner. Then again, the dog is on home-prepared meals. Allergic to corn, potatoes, rice, soy, carrots and a whole lot of other food and environmental allergens (yes, he has been tested), let's just say it has the healthiest heart for a dog as the dog thrives on a staple of oats, broccoli and all things good. That's healthier eating compared to me! 

What to eat with flatbreads?

• This is a good bread for dipping. To keep it at its simplest, serve with a bowl of yogurt that could be flavoured with minced garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. 
• To keep it even more simple, have a bowl of extra virgin olive oil ready for dipping. I like to add a little sea salt to the oil and some times some chilli flakes and/or a few drops of balsamic vinegar.
• I often serve these flat bread with Italian Caprese Salad - fresh mozzarella, red tomatoes, basil, extra virgin olive oil and salt. Instead of mozzarella,  l splurge on burrata which is made of mozzarella and cream. So delicious.
• I serve these with a hot tomato soup too.
• Or perhaps some prosciutto or Iberico ham.
• Or you could go crazy and prepare a spread of meze like I some times do. First picture is of a Middle Eastern and North Africa inspired meze. The second picture is a meze spread inspired by my Greek holiday in Santorini and Athens. 

First row: Left to right

• Zaalouk - Moroccan Roasted Eggplants and Tomatoes 
• Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips and Beets 
• Moroccan inspired Radish, Bell Peppers and Mint Salad
• Flash Fried Sweet Mini Bell Peppers

Second row: Left to right

• Greek inspired Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta
• Hummus with Spiced Angus Beef Slices
• Beef Kafta - Lebanese inspired Meatballs

Third row: Left to right

• Labneh - Lebanese Drained Yogurt Drizzled With Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Clover Honey
• Moroccan inspired Roasted Green Bell Peppers and Tomatoes With Olives
• Fresh Figs With Peppered Ricotta 

First row: Left to right 

• Slow Cooked Octopus In A Sherry Vinegar Garlic Marinade 
• Moussaka - A Baked Casserole Of Eggplants 
• Tomatoey Meat Topped With A Creamy White Sauce 
• Santorini Fava A Delicious Yellow Split Peas Dip 
• Marinated Grilled Peppers With Fig Balsamic Cream

Second row: Left to right 

• Greek Inspired Harissa-Style Hot Chilli Sauce To Go With Olives 
• 5 Minutes Grilled Cheese 
• Santorini Tomatoey Tomato Balls/Fritters

Third row: Left to right

• Crispy Whitebait And Sweet Onions Disk
• Pork Souvlaki Kebabs Skewers 
• Tzatziki A Cucumber Yogurt Dip  
• Oh So Soft Pita Bread

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                                               

What are they? Teaser: dough is made of sweet potatoes. Filling is savoury with a touch of sweet and spices.

Pineapple Ginger Lime Beer, Lots of Herring In Amsterdam And Tunisian Sweets From Paris

Hi! I'm now working from Wordpress. I've spent a great deal of time editing and reorganising this post on Wordpress and it is so much friendlier to read & follow my recipe from there. Click on this link to take you directly to the recipe:

Pineapple Ginger Lime Beer, Lots of Herring In Amsterdam And Tunisian Sweets

Link to my newest and old recipes, click:

https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

A throat warming pineapple ginger beer with freshly muddled limes. This punchy drink is only possible if you make your own brew which is easy. The hard part is waiting 24 hours before you can drink it. 

I had a similar drink whilst I was on holiday in Amsterdam and Paris. 

Lotti's Ginger Beer. Delicious.

It had so much punch, my throat burned and my eyes must have widen in shock after the initial sip. Thereafter, I couldn't get enough. I could not make 2 of that same drink last more than 10 minutes. I kept sipping away as I cooed about how delicious it was. It's one of those drinks that you know you will be drinking and enjoying for the rest of your life. 

Naturally, I had to come up with a recipe and thankfully, this drink is easy to make. 

It starts off with store bought cans of pineapple juice. You could make your own pineapple juice if you follow my recipe for Pineappleade but I want to drink this punchy soda so badly and so quickly, I just zip to the store and grab those cans of pineapple juice. You should know, especially if you are one to feel bad about throwing out food, that my Pineappleade is made from the peel and cores of pineapples which would otherwise be discarded.  

So juice is mixed with yeast, sugar and ginger and left to ferment for up to 24 hours. That's about it. The next day, you would have a lightly fizzy brew that smells very slightly fermented with obvious notes of pineapples and ginger. Strain this mix. Then choose to either drink with just the addition of ice cubes, very potent stuff or muddle in cut limes, top with ice and then 7-up. Terribly good.

For detailed instructions, scroll directly down to 'Ingredients' as the remaining writing would be about this gem of a find of an Amsterdam accommodation and me going on about Dutch herring, Tunisian sweets in Paris and my food-related holiday purchases that filled the entire surface and more of my 8-seater dining table.

I love Dutch herring, artichokes and sausages. For close-up shots, you have to scroll down. 

Amongst my favourite European cities for repeat visiting is Amsterdam. Why? One of the key reasons is my fondness for Dutch herring, a small silvery fish caught in the northern sea waters.  

Ok, yes, I had already started eating before I realised I was in a rather nice spot for a photo snap shot. I did say I love herring. In Amsterdam, I made sure I met my daily required dose of Omega-3 fatty acids with the intake of three Dutch herring a day. Yum.

Whilst there earlier this month, I stayed at Hoxton. Opened not too long ago, it is spread across 5 canal houses in the city centre. Why am I telling you this? The first reason is simple. It was at Hoxton that I was inspired to come up with my recipe for Pineapple Ginger Lime Beer. Secondly, there are accommodations aplenty in Amsterdam but good accommodation? This is a city where you have to be discerning with regard to your choice of boarding and where the power of insider help can't be underestimated.

To put my standards for accommodation in perspective, I have to say my days of scrimping on accommodations are over. That's not to say that I stay in 5-star accommodations all the time. I know at least one bed and breakfast that I am ever so happy to revisit and it would put a lot of 4 and 5-star accommodations to shame. If it is clean and conveniently located, I will stay but the toilet has to be clean please, be it a 3-star accommodation. 

If you are not on too tight of a budget, you might want to consider Hoxton, a 4-star hotel. It is in the city centre, on a quiet stretch of Herengracht, clean, modern and with new furnishings (as I write this -June 2016) and they hang a complimentary brown bag of a healthy breakfast on your door each morning. How kind.

There is only one other accommodation that I will stay again in a heartbeat in Amsterdam but they have become so reknown for their hospitality I could not even get a room 9 months ahead. I was not a happy puppy then but I really can't complain as Hoxton, not only cost less, it was very comfortable, more centrally located and they have a happening bar and restaurant, Lotti's, on the ground floor, That's where I tasted and went mad for their ginger beer.

I have quite a skill for efficient luggage packing. 

If it is legal and if it can fit into a luggage, I can just about pack anything back for home. Nothing spills. Nothing breaks. I have brought home light as a feather hand blown wine carafes, exquisite fine bone china tea cups, tea pots, clotted cream from London, even a tinselled deer one Christmas... 

Oh the joys of unpacking holiday luggages filled with all manner of food and carefully selected buys! Remember my shopping haul from my previous summer holiday in Greece and then my lovely purchases not too long ago from my Tokyo break? 

This last trip to Amsterdam and Paris, I did nothing more than stroll down streets, eat, shop and ate some more. It's a relaxing way to holiday. No itinerary to follow or restaurant reservation to fulfil. When it rained or when the feet could walk no further, a cafe was always literally a few steps away. A cup of cafe latte can almost always jump start my weary legs. Throw in an always excellent croissant and I am about as good as new.

So while the waters of the River Seine rose to its highest levels in 35 years and summer temperatures dropped to an autumn 51F (11C), I bought myself a new coat and continued to enjoy the streets of Paris. And, look at where my walks took me to -this lovely Tunisian sweets shop. 

The lady behind the service counter is positively lovely.  She has a cheerful disposition and attends to each customer with saintly patience.

The sweets they sell are unbelievably intricate and delicate! 

They might look overly sweet but they are surprisingly not. Instead, they are filled with very little sugar and/or honey and are packed instead with an assortment of nuts and mainly put together with chickpea and/or semolina flour. So delicious, I carted home the entire tray you see below and more. If this sweet shop was in my city, I would be the size of a blimp by now.

I never tire of looking at close-up shots of these ever so intricately made sweets.  Take for instance, the sweet that is in the centre. Those green hearts are cross sections of pistachios which had to be chosen carefully so that the cross section of each pistachio would be symmetrical with the other 3 cross sections of pistachios. How many pistachios will one have to go through for that kind of detail?

I could go on and on about the food that I ate and the food items that I bought but then I won't be able to stop. So I am going to end with my top three favourite purchases.

1. Dutch herring. 

I brought home 7 boxes. That's 5 X 7 = 35 delicious 'taste-of-the-sea' herring. Freshly caught herring are quickly frozen (to kill off any nasties) and then salted. For not too many days is my guess as the herring always taste very fresh and with just enough of salt to make it so tasty! It has a soft texture with a firm bite. To get an all authentic taste, I brought home a bottle of their sweet and sour pickles too.

2. Tunisian sweets from the St. Germain area, Paris.

Tunisian sweet makers definitely have deft fingers.

3. My ever so cute yellow bread toaster from Pyrones -too cute not to take home.

I placed the teapot next to it as I really like that piece too. Picked that up from Forum des Halles, a massive, mainly underground shopping complex which has been through a recent extensive renovation.

So as you can tell, I had a swell holiday in Amsterdam and Paris. Got down from the plane, did frantic unpacking, food gifting, food storage, repacked and in less than 24 hours went back up a plane headed for Galle, Sri Lanka for a villa holiday with the family. More eating again but I will save that for another time.
PINEAPPLE GINGER LIME BEER, LOTS OF HERRING IN AMSTERDAM AND TUNISIAN SWEETS FROM PARIS

Prep:	10 minutes
Cook:	-
Inactive:	Up to 24 hours
Level:	Easy
Makes:	~ 34 fl oz (1 litre) of syrup
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	1 day

Just the ingredients Syrup ~3oz (~80g) ginger without peel ~34 fl oz (~1 litre) store bought pineapple juice 1 cup sugar pinch of cayenne or chilli powder  2 teaspoons instant yeast If you wish to continue to ferment the syrup for 1 more day add: ~1/4 cup sugar To top 1/4 wedge squeeze of lime per glass Depending on the size of the limes, I would get at least 6 limes for the entire quantity of syrup. Ice cubes 7-up or other similar sweetened soda

Ingredients

Syrup
~3oz (~80g) ginger without peel
You could double this amount for even more punch.
~34 fl oz (~1 litre) store bought pineapple juice
Don't have enough pineapple juice? Top up with water.

1 cup sugar
You could add 1/2 cup more. This recipe is quite forgiving.

pinch of cayenne or chilli powder 
2 teaspoons instant yeast
If you wish to continue to ferment the syrup for 1 more day add:
~1/4 cup sugar

To top
1/4 wedge squeeze of lime per glass
Depending on the size of the limes, I would get at least 6 limes for the entire quantity of syrup.
Ice cubes
7-up or other similar sweetened soda
Don't have either? You must top up at least with some soda water as you want a bubbly fizz. Add sugar to make up for the lost of sugar when using soda water.

Method

Syrup

In a food processor, grind the ginger with the pineapple juice, sugar and cayenne until sugar is dissolved and ginger is more or less ground up.

Alternatively, grate ginger and mix in all the other syrup ingredients (except yeast) until sugar is dissolved.

Transfer into a flip-top jar or a container with a tight lid.

Sprinkle instant yeast over the syrup and stir in.

Close the jar and leave in a cool place (not the refrigerator) for at least 24 hours to ferment. Depending on how cold or hot it is in your area, it might take longer or shorter.

It has been warm where I am and my batch was left to sit for 24 hours. The mixture had tiny bubbles and smelt pleasantly fermented with notes of pineapple and ginger. 

You could use this syrup straight away which is what I would recommend.

If you are not using it up all at once or want to keep it for another day, add 1/4 cup of sugar, stir to mix, cover and refrigerate it. Beyond the 1 day extension, the syrup starts to taste too fermented for my liking. 

To serve

Strain the syrup.

You could serve this drink with just the addition of ice cubes -strong and punchy stuff.

Alternatively, cut lime into 1/4 wedges. Set aside.

Fill enough strained syrup to fill ~ 1/4 of a tall glass.

Squeeze the cut lime into that glass and throw in that wedge of lime. Muddle the lime with a spoon or a muddler.

Top with ice cubes and fill with 7-up or a similar sweetened soda, stir to mix, insert straw and sip away.

Tips

Instead of limes, try it with lemons or oranges. Seville oranges with its slight bitterness would be quite nice.
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                                              
These are my soft-dough flat breads cooked over a hot pan. The dough is green because it has kale in it and the filling? A mix of greens and cheese!  It's all rather healthy and of course delicious.

Tamarind Drink With A Spoonful Of Roasted Peanuts

Hi! I'm now working from Wordpress. I've spent a great deal of time editing and reorganising this post on Wordpress and it is so much friendlier to read & follow my recipe from there. Click on this link to take you directly to the recipe:

Tamarind Drink With A Spoonful Of Roasted Peanuts

Link to my newest and old recipes, click:

https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

Tart and sweet. This fruit based drink is especially good with spicy food or any time really. 

It's as good as a good lemonade. If asked to choose between the two, I would reach for tamarind. Why? It's easy to buy a good lemonade but a good tamarind drink? Rather difficult. Canned ones are not good so don't waste your calories there. The bottled syrups that are available to me have a metallic taste to it. I stay away from those too.

I can only get my drink fix from this one hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restaurant. In fact, I always order 2 drinks there, their drip coffee and the tamarind drink. The latter comes with a generous scoop of freshly roasted unsalted peanuts. As strange as it sounds, I can't even begin to tell you what a great combination it is. 

Actually, if one can have a bowl of peanuts with beer then a tamarind drink goes even better with peanuts. It is added straight into your drink so you don't have to soil your fingers picking on those nuts. A convenient long-handled spoon is provided to pop peanuts into mouth. I say that's a very well thought out drink!

TAMARIND DRINK WITH A SPOONFUL OF ROASTED PEANUTS

Prep:	25 minutes
Cook:	25 minutes
Inactive:	~1 hour for syrup to cool down
Level:	Easy but a bit fiddly
Makes:	~ 12 glasses
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	Yes

Just the ingredients ~ 1 lb (450g) fresh tamarind pods OR ~1 cup of tamarind paste OR  A mix of the above 2 items in any ratio ~ 1 and 3/4 cups or enough sugar to sweeten and thicken into a light syrup ~ 1 cup roasted unsalted peanuts

Ingredients

~ 1 lb (450g) fresh tamarind pods

Fresh fruits are between very sweet or sweet-tart tasting.

OR

~1 cup of tamarind paste

These are partially processed as in most of the fruit's fibre and some seeds have been removed. It is very sour and often sold compressed into a flat rectangle block or bottled in glass or plastic containers. It would be displayed on supermarket shelves. You should find it easily at Asian grocery stores.  I have also seen, though rarely nowadays, tamarind concentrate (where pods, seeds & fibres have been removed) packed in canisters and displayed in supermarket freezers. Read the label. Some have sugar added so reduce the amount of sugar added in that case.

OR 

A mix of the above 2 items in any ratio

~1 and 3/4 cups or enough sugar to sweeten and thicken into a light syrup

~ 1 cup roasted unsalted peanuts to add into each prepared glass of tamarind drink
~ 1 - 2 Tablespoons per glass.

Method

Break the shells of the tamarind pods by pressing in on them. 

Discard shells and any pods that look mouldy, too dry or just plain funky. The ones pictured above are all specimens of good pods.

Discard all the fibrous membrane covering the fruit.

Rinse the tamarind pulp briefly in water without breaking them apart and place in a pot.

If you are using tamarind paste, there is no need to rinse them, take out what you want with a clean spoon and place straight into a pot. Store leftover in the refrigerator. They keep a long time.

Fill the pot with enough water to cover a little above the tamarind (either the fresh ones, the paste or both of each).

Cover pot and bring to boil over high heat. Remove cover, reduce heat to simmer away for 15 - 20 minutes. Turn off burner, remove and cool completely.

With your fingers, remove as much seeds as you can.

Strain through a large-holed sift. Use a large faced spoon to press as much as you can through the sift.

There is still goodness in the solids left in the sift, transfer that into a bowl. Add 1/2 cup of water and mix through. Strain this through the sift as well. Now you can discard the solids left behind in the sift.

Heat the strained tamarind liquid with ~1 and 3/4 cups of sugar to dissolve the sugar. Watch the pot as it will boil over if left unattended. Once it comes to a boil, turn off the burner.

Taste. Adjust sugar amount if necessary. You want it syrupy sweet as you would be diluting with water before serving. You should have 4 cups (1 litre).

Cool completely and store in sterilised jars. 

To serve, dilute with as much cold water as necessary. Add a tablespoon of roasted peanuts, top with ice cubes and serve with a straw and long handled spoon to get to the peanuts.

Tips

Storage: Refrigerate or Freeze

Tamarind syrup keeps a long time in the refrigerator, at least 1 month and even longer in the freezer. I divide it up into smaller glass jars into a serving size of 3 - 4 drinks per jar.  That means I have one jar which I store in the refrigerator so that I can consume it within a week. The other jars are kept in the freezer.

Don't forget to serve the drink with the peanuts and keep a little bowl of them on the side for top ups! 
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When I was in Amsterdam, I so enjoyed this drink which was full of pizzazz! 

Fizzy with a strong bite of ginger, mixed with pineapple juice and a splash of lime. It didn't take me long to sip through the first glass and a second was promptly ordered.

On my return home, I came up with a similar version just so that I can not only sip my way through more than 2 glasses of it but also so that I can have a glass of it whenever I want.  

Strawberry Beetroot Fizz

Hi! I'm now working from Wordpress. I've edited this post there, reformatted it so that it is much easier to read & follow my recipe. This link will take your directly to the recipe:

Strawberry Beetroot Fizz

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Strawberries and beetroot? Yes! It works very well and this fizzy cooler is one of my most requested drinks. The beetroot intensifies the taste of the strawberries and colours the drink a theatrical red. 

Choose to make this an alcoholic or nonalcoholic cooler. Either way it tastes fabulous but it must be a bubbly liquid that is added. 

With a food processor, this drink takes less than 5 minutes to make. This freezes very well and will keep for months. 

See the bottled ones featured in the picture above? Those went into the freezer but it only stayed frozen for a short time. No one as yet has owned up to drinking it up. My advice? Make a big batch and freeze.

This drink is perfect for slow sipping.
STRAWBERRY BEETROOT FIZZ                                 

Prep:	5 minutes
Cook:	-
Inactive:	-
Level:	Very easy
Makes:
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	Freezes for 2 months

Just the ingredients 1 lb (450g) frozen strawberries 1 and 1/4 cups unsweetened beetroot juice 1 and 1/2 cups sugar or more to suit your taste Carbonated water  OR Prosecco or similar alcoholic bubbly

Ingredients

1 lb (450g) frozen strawberries

1 and 1/4 cups unsweetened beetroot juice 

Use more or less to suit your taste.

1 and 1/2 cups sugar or more to suit your taste

Carbonated water 
Soda Stream/seltzer/soda water/sparkling mineral water
OR
Prosecco or similar alcoholic bubbly

Method

Combine first 3 ingredients in a food processor and blitz until smooth. There is no need to defrost the strawberries.

If strawberry pips bothers you then strain the liquid, but really, it is not a big deal. Your strawberry jam most likely have pips in them!

Transfer into sterilised jars/bottles, cover and refrigerate or freeze. Alternatively, freeze in ice cube trays and then transfer them into freezer bags.

To make yourself a drink, pour enough cordial into a glass cup and then top only 3/4 full with fizzy liquid of your choice. Stir gently to mix.

Do not fill more than 3/4 full as the bubbles will likely spill over.

Tips

Don't like or can't have strawberries?

If you can't have strawberries, I have a similar drink where a bag of frozen raspberries is used instead. My Frozen Red Raspberry Fizzy was my official 2015 year-end festive beverage. I had to remake that drink many times as people were asking for more! Only drawback with using raspberry is, you have to sieve out the seeds. My advice, make a big, big batch and freeze.

How else can I use the cordial/syrup?

The cordial is wonderful over pancakes, waffles, vanilla ice cream, yogurt lassi and on a spoon, sipped slowly.

What to do with the remaining bottled beetroot juice?

Here is a link to possibly one of the easiest beetroot soups, Cold & Crazy Pink Beetroot Soup. Since bottled beetroot is ready to drink, it is so easy to serve this soup and because of its mad festive colour, it will look great on your year-end dinner party table.
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Another drink but one that you probably have not had before. Tart and sweet. This fruit based drink is especially good with spicy food or any time really. It's a drink I always order at this particular Vietnamese restaurant -Tamarind Drink With A Spoonful Of Peanuts - a definite thirst quencher and you get to fish the peanuts out with a long spoon.