revani (turkish semolina cake).

in lieu of a gushing apology for my disappearance during the month of april, i'll cut straight to the good stuff: 

cake!

i wish i had more culturally illuminative information to report about this cake other than that it's delicious. two years ago, i spent a month living in istanbul, where i overindulged on sweets of all sorts. baklava was a favorite, but assorted cookies, pastries, and tarts were just as common fixes. my turkish course was conveniently located above a bakery, where insanely cheap, sugary tea and equally fructose-y snacks helped get me through some headache-inducing classes.

while one of the first things i did after returning from turkey was figure out how to make baklava, i've haven't been so ambitious with any other recipes. until now. revani is made from combining equal parts flour and semolina. the final - and essential - step after baking is pouring a simple sugar syrup on it and letting it absorb for a few hours, refrigerated. the result: a modest, sweet sponge cake. perfect for breakfast or a mid-morning/afternoon/midnight snack.

revani (turkish semolina cake)

from fahriye’s kitchen

2 cups sugar

3 cups water

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups fine semolina

2 tsp baking powder

3 eggs, whisked

2 cups caster sugar

2 cups plain yogurt

1/2 cup oil

preheat the oven to 340F.

start by making the syrup. bring the water and sugar to boil. let simmer for 15 minutes. add the lemon juice and set aside to cool.

combine the flour, baking powder and semolina. set aside. whisk sugar with the eggs until it is slightly foamy. add in the yogurt, butter and whisk together. fold in the flour mixture.

pour the entire mixture into a greased baking tin and spread out evenly.

bake the cake for 35- 40 minutes or until it is slightly brown on top. remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. then cut it into squares or diamond shaped slices. pour the cool syrup over the hot cake and let all the syrup soak into the cake.

place it in the fridge for 2-4 hours. serve chilled. 

hooked on bread baking.

increasing evidence suggests that there's a directly positive relationship between how busy i am and the amount of bread i bake. take the last 2 weeks for example. It was finals season, and I had 50 pages to write, 3 presentations to give, and a final exam to study for. I also, apparently, had 4 different loaves of bread to bake. 

baking bread is the perfect low-cost, high-reward activity. first, it's cheap. cheap like "why would i ever pay 4 dollars for a loaf again?!" cheap. it's also quick. especially if you're following my lead and sticking with no-knead recipes. throw some stuff in a bowl, let it rise, dump it in a dutch oven, and let 'er bake. finally, it makes so much that no person alone can eat it all by themselves. the solutions: freeze some, give the rest away. the latter is a great way to make people like you - i mean, a great way to be a good person.

this honey raisin cinnamon bread makes a wonderful - or as my mom says, "the absolute yummiest!" - breakfast loaf. it's hearty without being too dense, and you can enjoy it plain, toasted, with some honey, almond butter, cream cheese, or whatever else you like in the morning. i only threw in raisins this first time around, but the dried fruit options are endless. i plan to include some dried apricots and dates in the next batch.

no-knead honey raisin bread

from the professional palate

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1/3 cup honey

1 cup water

combine flours, raisins, cinnamon, salt and yeast in a large bowl.

combine water and honey. add to the flour mixture and stir until dough forms. cover tightly and let stand at room temperature overnight.

preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. place the dutch oven in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

remove dutch oven and spray the inside with grill spray. dump the dough into the dutch oven, cover, and bake for 30 minutes. uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

let cool before slicing and enjoying with a generous shmear of honey or almond butter.

orzo salad with pine nuts and sprouts.

despite the fact that the bay area decided to pretty much skip over winter this year, i'm still ready - dare i say itching! - for spring. don't get me wrong: i love my root vegetables and glittens. and even when it's 70 degrees outside in january, i still insist on "honoring" the season with comforting soups and roasted dishes. 

but now that those bright green asparagus and broccolini bunches have started to creep their way into my local farmer's market, i'm ready to trade in heartier stews for some lighter fare. 

this orzo salad fits the bill. if you're looking for a simple side, potluck contribution, or main course - look no further! not only is it incredibly simple to throw together, but it's endlessly adaptable. a perfect clean-out-the-fridge solution. 

you'll want to keep the sprouts and cucumber for the wonderful crunch and texture they add, but you should feel free, encouraged even, to experiment with the other add-ins. i've made the dish twice already, each time using different toasted nuts, greens, and herbs. this pine nut and cilantro version is my favorite of the two, but in my next version (which i will invariably make in the next few days), i'll be trying toasted almonds, spring onions, and some roughly chopped mint.

orzo salad with pine nuts and sprouts.

adapted from 101 cookbooks

1 cup dried orzo pasta


1 small clove of garlic, mashed

1 big squeeze from a lemon

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

2 handfuls of sprouts

1/2 cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch pieces


3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

bring a pot of water to a boil, salt generously, and boil the orzo according to the package instructions. drain and run under a bit of cold water for just long enough to stop the cooking.

in a serving bowl, add the sprouts, cucumber, and pine nuts. when the orzo is cooled, add to the bowl.

whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt. add to the salad, followed by the cilantro. give a few tosses to make sure all the ingredients are well coated. add salt and pepper to taste.

enjoy room temperature or chilled. 

my new go-to banana bread.

somehow, i seem to have at least 3 über-ripe-slash-on-the-verge-of-going-bad bananas lying around my kitchen at any given moment. 

it works like this: i buy a bunch of bananas at the beginning of the week. i eat one every few days. 5 days in, only a couple are gone and the rest are on their way to the compost bin... unless someone intervenes.

obviously, that someone is me. but perhaps not quite as obvious is that my solution is pretty much always banana bread. lots and lots of banana bread.

i have a couple of go to recipes, one of which i posted about last summer. i tend to like banana breads you can't mess up. if i'm making a quickbread, i'm not in any mood to worry about that thing known as precision.

which is why today's recipe is a new favorite. it's vegan, ingredient-minimal, moist, and very banana-y. I like to throw poppy seeds into most of my baked goods, but i'm betting 1/4 cup shredded coconut or chopped walnuts would be delightful too. in fact, i'm pretty sure this recipe can handle most add-ins and spontaneous ingredient decisions. 

go-to banana bread.
adapted from bread and honey

3 small, very ripe bananas


1/2 cup applesauce


1/2 cup brown sugar


2 tablespoons runny honey


2 cups all-purpose flour


3/4 teaspoon baking soda


2 teaspoons ground cinnamon


1-2 tablespoon poppy seeds (depending on your love of crunch)

1/2 teaspoon salt



preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.


in a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas well. add the sugar, applesauce, and honey. whisk briefly till just incorporated.

sift in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, poppy seeds, and salt. mix by hand until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.
transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until lightly browned and a tester through the center comes out clean.

remove from oven. let sit for about 10 minutes before flipping the bread right side up and devouring.