East meets West

Your imagination is the only limit when you combine different styles of cuisine.

Copyright © 2007 All Rights belong to Füsun Atalay

Fusion cooking, despite its relatively recent and avant garde name, has been around for hundreds of years. Fundamentally this type of cooking combines key elements of ethnic recipes and cooking styles with some variations on flavors and spices to create new dishes which look and even taste like the original ones.

A good illustration of this would be the "shish kebab," so common in Middle Eastern countries. Shish is a Turkish word which means "skewer", and "kebab" refers to meat (usually lamb) that is cooked over an open fire.

The authentic shish kebab is made with pieces of cubed lamb arranged on skewers, alternating with onions and green peppers. It is seasoned with cumin and served with yogurt into which crushed fresh garlic and mint have been stirred.

Contemporary North American cuisines have successfully fused this popular dish into their repertoires for many years by using beef, chicken, turkey, pork and even fish. Usually grilled on a charcoal or under the broiler, the fusion version of the shish kebab incorporates vegetables such as mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes or red peppers in addition to the classic onions; and seasonings may vary from Asian flavors of sesame oil with soya sauce to more European hints of olive oil with balsamic vinegar.

At its best, fusion cooking can be compared to a culinary palette where the East meets West, and gives rise to delicious, innovative and colorful dishes. It’s a brilliant showcase that combines cross-cultural, versatile ingredients in harmony under the craft of the chef, and presents them so that they complement each other on the same plate as well as on the palate.

The alchemy of better-known ingredients with lesser known ones is the best approach for successful fusion. For example, a tablespoon of adobo sauce (made from smoked, dried jalapeno chilies, tomato, vinegar and spices) stirred in at the last minute into a humble chicken stew would not only create a fusion dish, but also offer an exotic flavor.

There’s no big secret to fusion cooking other than using the freshest ingredients and the cook’s own imagination and creativity. If you want to experiment with fusion cooking at home, be adventurous and take the first step by using spices other than those for which the recipe calls. But go easy on your first attempt until you see how the chemistry works on your palate.

Be resourceful and make similar substitutions when you cannot find the original item listed in the recipe. For instance, Sumitra Senapaty, a Delhi-based freelance writer on food and culture, suggests using lemon zest for lemon grass in a seafood risotto, or coconut milk for some of the heavy cream in a baked custard. The slightly different but delightful taste will be the result of a fused cuisine.
• • •

Here are two starter recipes for trying fusion cooking at home.

Ginger Garlic Beef with Lime and Teriyaki Sauce

Three key ingredients in Chinese cooking — garlic, ginger, and sesame oil — are combined with lime juice and teriyaki sauce in this fusion dish.

1 pound sirloin steak cut into 2-inch slices
1 small yellow onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 stalk celery, sliced diagonally
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, julienned
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. pineapple teriyaki sauce
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 tsp. Asian sesame oil, divided
1 small red onion sliced
1/4 cup cold water
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms
pinch red pepper flakes
juice of 1 lime

Combine the steak, yellow onion, green pepper, celery, ginger, soy and teriyaki sauces in a bowl. Add garlic and 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil in a large pan. Add the red onion and the steak-vegetable mixture.

Cook over medium heat until the meat is cooked through (about 8 minutes), stirring often. Stir in the mushrooms and stir-fry another minute. Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water and add to the contents of the pan to thicken the juices. Season with red pepper flakes and lime juice. Serve over rice or noodles and garnish with lime slices.


Asian fusion Orzo-Chicken Salad ~ Yield: 8-10 servings

Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta popular in Italian and Middle Eastern cooking.

450 grams orzo, cooked and drained
1 small cooked chicken, skinned, boned and diced (you can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
1 cup water chestnuts, drained, rinsed and sliced
150-200 grams sugar snap peas (fresh or frozen)
1 red bell pepper, cut in 5-cm strips
3 green onions, sliced on the diagonal
1 to 1-1/2 cups light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. hoisin sauce
1/3 cup toasted, slivered almonds, optional
ground black pepper and salt to taste

In a large bowl, combine sugar snap peas, orzo, water chestnuts, chicken, green onion, and red bell pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegars, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, salt and pepper. Pour over orzo mixture and toss gently to coat. Stir in toasted almonds.

Serve at room temperature. Keep unused portion refrigerated. Taste improves next day.

Copyrighted Material ~ Copyright © 2007 All Rights belong to Füsun Atalay

Dinner for Two?

Here's a simple yet elegant way to say 'I love you'

Text and Photography By: Füsun Atalay ~ Copyright © 2006

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner and romance in the air, are you ready to dazzle your sweetheart with an elegant meal just for the two of you? A romantic evening doesn’t always have to be a candle-lit dinner at an expensive restaurant. With a little planning and some personal touches, you can create a memorable event in the intimate comfort of your own home.

To quote the modern French playwright Jean Anouilh (1910-1987), "Love is, above all, the gift of oneself."

So, go all out and give of yourself. Things that come from you, or are made by you, will mean more than store-bought cards and boxed commercial chocolates.

What could be more personal than a hand-written invitation for a cosy dinner, tucked under the pillow, or a blank card, scribbled with your favourite love poem and decorated with pictures, placed next to the dinner plate?

Regardless of how long you’ve been together with your sweetheart, a perfect way to show how much you care is by planning a special dinner you can share with each other.

But you don’t want to kill yourself in the process. A menu that looks scrumptious and tastes great can be easy and prepared at least partially ahead of time so that you can spend most of your time tete-a-tete, sipping wine, listening to your favourite music or conversing leisurely.

In Rome, St. Valentine’s Day was known as Lupercalia — a romantic and pleasure-loving occasion. You can create the ambience by serving your dinner in a room with a romantic setting. A glowing fireplace, soft music, fresh flowers, scented candles and a special table cloth will all help to create an ambiance.

Don’t forget to turn off your cell phones and unplug the phone.

You need to do some planning and preparation ahead of time so that on this special evening everything will work out smoothly.

I have prepared a menu to give you ideas and show you that taking some shortcuts doesn’t necessarily take away from the results, or the spirit of the occasion.

Orange and Fennel Salad

1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 medium orange, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 Tbsp. olive oil
juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. sweetened dried cranberries

In a small mixing bowl, combine olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Whisk to emulsify. Add fennel and toss to coat. Transfer fennel to a serving plate. Arrange orange slices. Sprinkle chopped parsley. Top with sweetened cranberries and serve.

Poached Salmon in Puff Pastry with Hollandaise Sauce

2 (4-oz.) salmon fillets, skin removed
2 shallots, sliced
fennel fonds (trimmings from the salad)
3 sprigs fresh dill
6 sprigs fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3/4 cup white wine
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator
1 package Hollandaise sauce mix (I used Knorr mix)

In a saute pan, add the white wine, olive oil, shallots, parsley and dill sprigs, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer gently for 5 minutes

Add the fish to the pan and spoon the poaching liquid over the fillets. Cook uncovered until the salmon is firm and cooked through, about 8 minutes. If the poaching liquid doesn’t cover the fish, spoon the liquid over the fillets as they cook. Allow the fillets to cool in the pan liquid, covered to prevent drying.

Meanwhile, roll out the refrigerated puff pastry to a 12-inch by 1/4-inch thick square. Cut the square into two equal triangles.

Pat a salmon fillet with paper towel and place on the pastry from the middle to one corner. Fold over the remaining part to form a smaller triangle. Press the edges with a fork. Do the same with the other. Brush tops with a beaten egg. Set on a parchment paper-lined tray.

You can prepare everything up to this point earlier in the day and refrigerate. Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 20-25 minutes. (Use a toaster oven if you wish).

Prepare the Hollandaise sauce just before serving, according to package directions. Serve over salmon in puff pastry with steamed asparagus or snow peas.

What is a Valentine’s dinner without chocolate? These chocolate cakes, with warm, molten chocolate inside, can be prepared a day ahead, poured into custard cups, covered with plastic film and refrigerated until 20 minutes before you are ready to bake them.

Chocolate Lava Cakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 (1-oz.) squares semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup confectionery sugar
2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp. flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla essence

Butter four 3/4-cup custard cups and place them on a baking tray.

In a bowl over a pot of simmering water, melt butter with chocolate, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Stir in sugar and whisk until butter and chocolate are melted, and sugar is blended. Whisk in the eggs, the yolks and the vanilla. Stir in flour until the mixture is smooth. Divide batter among prepared cups. (Can be prepared ahead up to this point.)

Bake in preheated 425 F oven for 12-14 minutes or until the sides are firm but the centres are still soft. Allow to stand for a minute before running a small knife around the cakes to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.

Serve warm with fresh fruit or vanilla ice cream.

Copyrighted Material ~ Copyright © 2006 ~ All Rights belong to Füsun Atalay

A Work in Progress

Copyright © Füsun Atalay

Photo By: Leonie

He lived in a tiny, run-down, top storey apartment accessible by three floors of narrow steps in the red light district of Amsterdam, because he was dirt poor.

Everything in the apartment was primitive. The only window to the left of the entrance overlooked some canal. In one corner of the room, on a counter covered with torn, yellowing vinyl stood a propane tank which gave life to the two burners for cooking.

Opposite the counter was a small refrigerator, bare except for a carton of milk, half dozen eggs and a shrivelled apple. A small water closet with a toilet and sink, beside what he called his kitchen completed the bare necessities of life for someone who was one step ahead of being homeless.

The rectangular room consisted of a bed, a piano which was his only prized possession and one he could not bare to part with even at this direst financial moments, an old wooden arm chair, a banged-up coffee table and two metal bridge chairs.

Yet to me, this was heaven. Even as I followed him, carrying my over-packed travel bag, up the narrow steps I felt my heart burst with disbelief and happiness all at once at the reality of the moment.

The train travel from Schippol and the long walk from the station to his place was already a blur in my mind. I barely remembered the strange feeling at the sight of those tanned girls in their skimpy bras and bikini underwear poised in alcoves, with pasted smiles awaiting their customers. He had smiled and waved back with the unspoken familiarity of those who share misfortunes in different ways.

I feared anyone’s questioning my being there. I had tried hiding my face incase anyone among thousands of tourists on the streets recognized me and asked, "Hey, what are you doing here ? Where is . . . ?"

I felt like a thief, stealing into a forbidden place in an effort to erase the miserable existence I left behind. I felt like one of those girls in the windows, partaking in illicit love.

He placed my heavy carry-on down, turned around and wrapped his arms around me, his tight grasp strengthened by years of separation and longing. Time was frozen in that embrace- so silent yet so loud with the thumping of our hearts against our chests. That was where we left off almost two decades ago when his father pulled him back to Amsterdam, cutting off his allowance, leaving him penniless. He had no choice but to go back, for a student visa allowed him neither a job, nor welfare in Canada.

For me it was a different trip all together. I had already sold my soul to continue university under the shelter of my family home. No one knew that I was in love with a ‘gâvur’ - an infidel. At home I was a quiet, passive, studious and pious eighteen year old , seemingly preparing for a bright future which also meant a marriage befitting my family’s status.

But every day I lived, I died to shed my outer shell and find solace in his arms. School was my escape, my sanctuary. No one questioned my staying after hours in the labs, or spending Saturdays at the libraries.

We each lived a lie to build our mutual reality. We dreamed of keeping house and being independent of guilt or moral debts to our parents. He taught me that a Calvinist family was just as close minded and unforgiving as a Muslim one. Thus, our vast differences brought us closer, bellowing the fires in our hearts.

Then came the fateful letter which never reached my hands. Two years later after his return to Amsterdam, when I was hospitalized with pericarditis and a major depression, Father admitted he had intercepted that letter for my own good. He said he had waited for me one day outside the library I was supposed to be working in. Then he became suspicious and understood that I wasn't being truthful with my parents. He knew keeping G's letter from me would hurt, but it would be better in the long run and I would forget about him in time.

"Trust me," he had said.

Shortly after my discharge from the Royal Victoria, I moved out of my parents' house to hang on to my sanity. But by then it was too late and each of us had moved on in the hopelessness of what our separate realities had dished out for us. He thought I had broken off with him; I had no way of finding out his address and reaching out to him.

For the next fourteen years, I didn’t live a day without thinking of him and wondering where he was, what he was doing or if he ever thought of me if only once in a while.

One July day when I was visiting my sister in Toronto there was a phone call ~ for me ! I was on my summer break from teaching, and on our way to Marineland with my two youngsters and my husband.

When I heard his familiar voice at the end of the receiver, the Dutch accent that I longed to hear , I was speechless ! Out of the blue he had called. But he had been looking for me for so long, trying every means to trace me. When I moved out of my parents' home, I had taken on an unlisted phone number. My parents had sold their home and returned to Turkey.

There was so much to talk about and ask each other ; we could only exchange vital information of our whereabouts and telephone numbers to keep in touch. My two-year old was crying. My husband was honking from the car signalling to hurry up. I was falling apart trying to hide my emotions. I was filled with longing and joy; regret and hopelessness.

The distance and time that lay between us had disappeared with one unexpected phone ring, just like I dreamed; but present reality stretched out there between us like a desert, vast, and impossible to cross.


. . .to be continued . . . if Life permits


Copyrighted Material ~ Copyright © 1997 All Rights belong to Füsun Atalay

Not Smelling the Roses

a Poem by: Füsun Atalay ~ Copyright © 1998

Smooth skin stretches
over fine blood vessels
mapping the hand
which offers me the largest bouquet,
of blue and purple roses I’ve never seen before
scattered among
ordinary red, pink, white and yellow ones —
The roses so sharp in my mind, yet the face
hovering above the bouquet fades
with the poignant smell of roses...
only their thorns still sharp in memory.
I recall the feeling
sporadically ~
like connection to cyberspace
that comes
and
goes. . .
and suddenly a
time out error
and the joy
(just when i thought i was connected)
can not be transmitted;
something just froze.
Then colours burst
like fireworks
in shimmering cascades
and spotlight
faces from the past, the present -
some, i have not
even seen before -
They speak out in unison.
i can’t hear what they’re saying...
So i strain
to read their lips
and understand their words.
They try to convey the ultimate
wisdom and truth
while warning.
But, like the unscented roses,
my senses are deceived, beleaguered and
long to find meaning
when my subconscious cognizance
is muffled by their incoherent cries.
Then i know: this is another one
of those plains
where roses can be waltzing-
people can sprout a warning finger ~
and bellow without being heard !


Copyrighted Material ~ Copyright © 1998 All Rights belong to Füsun Atalay

Sweet Endings

Text and Photos by : Füsun Atalay © Copyright 2007

I’ve always been curious about the difference between a tart and a torte; and oftentimes I don’t know which is which. Pies, on the other hand are a little more familiar— at least I think of them as baked pastries which contain savory or sweet fillings. But the jargon becomes somewhat more mystifying especially when we add the crisp, crostata (from Italian), crumble (from English), galette and tartelette (from French) into the mix.

A little research revealed that torte-derived from German- is a rich cake made with eggs, ground nuts, sugar and flour. The Hungarian Dobos Tort is a labour-intensive six, sometimes seven layer basic sponge cake supporting a butter cream between each layer. The final top layer is coated with chocolate and hazelnut cream. As with many cakes, the layers are moistened with a simple sugar syrup during assembly.

A tart, however, is an open topped pastry which can be filled with sweets such as fruits — or savory fillings such as onions, cheese and eggs. On the other hand a crostata, although not baked in a pan but rather "free form", is another name for 'tart' . Go figure !

But, what’s in a name? All that matters is baking your cake (or tart) and eating it too by taking advantage of the season’s ripe fruits. Pears, plums and apples are at their peek now. Besides biting into one of these juicy ripe fruits, what better way to use them than in these spectacular sweet finalés to a special meal?

The following recipes are not half as confusing as their names, and the results are truly something to be proud of when you present them at the table .

Linzertorte

Born in Linz, Austria, almost three centuries ago Linzertorte , with its beautiful golden brown crust filled with ruby red raspberry preserves shimmering through the lattice design, is a distinctive classic.

1 /2 cup blanched ground almonds
1 -1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 /2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
2/3 cup raspberry jam
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, almonds, cinnamon, granulated sugar and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal.. Add in egg and pulse to blend with the flour mixture.

Spoon 2/3 of dough onto bottom of 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Pat dough evenly over bottom and up side of pan. Combine lemon juice with jam; spread jam over bottom of dough. On lightly floured surface roll remaining third of dough into 10x5-inch rectangle ; cut ten 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Arrange strips in lattice pattern, trim and press ends into edge of crust. Bake 25 -35mins or until crust is golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Remove torte from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into wedges. Store, tightly covered, at room temperature upto 2 days.

Pear Frangipane Tart

Prangipane refers to a filling made from almonds which can be used in cakes, tarts, croissants and other pastries. It’s a great fall dessert when pears are plenty.

Base:
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg yolk

Frangipane:
5 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup natural almonds, ground
1/4 tsp almond extract

Tart:
3- 4 pears, halved , peeled and cored
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp apricot jam

Combine flour, sugar and butter in a food processor ; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the yolk and pulse until all is combined into a ball. Flatten into a disk between sheets of plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Roll out to to fit into an 8 inch tart pan with a removable bottom and with floured fingertips push dough up and down the sides and bottom of the pan . Cover with aluminum or parchment paper, top with dry beans and "blind bake"at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Remove beans. Cool.

Meanwhile prepare frangipane by creaming together butter and sugar. Add eggs and cream some more, stir in ground almonds and extract, and mix well. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Fill baked tart shell with the frangipane.

Cut the pear halves, lengthwise into thin slices, keeping them together at the stem end.
Fan the pears slightly and place over the frangipane filling in a petal pattern.
Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of sugar over the pears. Bake the tart for 50 minutes.
Melt apricot jam and brush over the warm pears. Serve at room temperature.

Apple Tarte Tatin

The result of forgetfulness rescued by ingenuity, this tarte was created by sisters Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin who operated a hotel in Lamotte-Beuvron in the early part of the 19th century. It was such a success that it found its way to Maxim's of Paris in no time.

Short crust pastry

1-1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp sugar
3-4 Tbsp ice water

Combine flour and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. While the motor’s running, slowly add ice water and process until dough begins to come together. Remove from processor and pat into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap ; chill 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface roll out pastry to a 10-inch circle of 1/4-inch thickness. Chill until use.

Filling:

4 Golden or Red Delicious apples
1/3 cup butter
1 /2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375º F.
Peel, core and quarter apples.
Melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, stirring until bubbly. Add vanilla. Spoon into the pie or cake pan.
Arrange apples cut sides up on sugar.
Poke holes in pastry and place on top of apples.
Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until crust is rich golden brown and apples are tender.
Turn out onto a plate, so that apples show on top. Watch for hot syrup that might drip. Serve warm.

Italian Plum Tart

Easiest of the three, the base isn't even rolled out for this tart that showcases purple Italian plums.
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup walnuts
3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3/4 cups cold butter, diced
1 egg
2 pounds (about 12) firm, ripe Italian prune plums, pitted and quartered lengthwise

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, walnuts, sugar and butter in the food processor. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal. . Add the egg and pulse on-off until egg is combined but the dough is somewhat still crumbly.

Press 1-1/2 cups of the crumbly mixture in an even layer into the bottom of a 9 inch tart pan. Arrange the plums in the pan, skin side up, in a circle; starting from outside, work to the middle.
Sprinkle rest of the crumb mixture evenly over the plums. Bake the tart for 45 to 50 minutes, or until it's lightly browned and the plum juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar ; serve warm or at room temperature

~~~~~~~~~~~

Yummy Yogurt

A food from the ages with a modern-day cachet!

Story and Photo by: FÜSUN ATALAY Copyright © 2007

Yogurt has been the soul food in my family ever since I can remember, but we consumed it in its most modest form: plain. Occasionally we’d be adventurous and spike its flavour with crushed garlic, salt and mint to serve with what Turkish cuisine classifies as summer vegetables, since green beans, eggplants, bell peppers or zucchini did not grow in Anatolian winters.

Yogurt’s use is not limited to being a flavourful topping for eggplants fried in olive oil, or a refreshing accompaniment with cucumbers and garlic or stuffed bell peppers and wine leaves. Grilled meats or spinach-filled phyllo would be considered incomplete without a side dish of yogurt.

Ottoman Emperor Sultan Süleyman introduced yogurt to France’s ailing King François I in 1542. According to “History of Food,” by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat (translated by Anthea Bell in 1992), after the health of the French king improved, the Ottoman envoy returned home taking the secret of yogurt making back with them, “and yogurt was forgotten for nearly four centuries.”

John F. Mariani, in the “Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink,” credits Turkish immigrants with the introduction of yogurt to the States in 1784. But its popularity wouldn’t arrive until 1940, when a man named “... Daniel Carasso emigrated to the United States and took over a small yogurt factory in the Bronx, New York. He was soon joined by Juan Metzger, and the two sold their yogurt under the name Dannon.”

Craig Claiborne’s “The New York Times Food Encyclopedia” states that “(Yogurt) first gained international prominence in the early 1900s when Ilya Metchnikov, a Russian bacteriologist, observed that the lifespan of Bulgarians, whose diet included the consumption of large quantities of soured milk, was 87 years and beyond.”

Today, the culinary versatility of yogurt is acclaimed worldwide. Yogurt is more than a fruit-flavoured light dessert or a healthy smoothie base. It enhances soups, marinates meats, dresses salads, moistens pancakes and replaces fatty creams in many recipes.

I was beside myself with joy when I recently saw “ayran” pronounced (I-run), on the dairy shelves of some Middle Eastern markets. Ayran is a national yogurt drink that refreshes the thirst of many during sizzling Anatolian summers. We made it by stirring one part yogurt to four parts of ice-cold water and a good pinch of salt. Served with extra ice, it is a healthy, thirst-quenching drink which is also an antidote against sunstroke.

Yogurt cheese is another product gaining in popularity and replacing cream cheese on bagels and toast or traditional cheese cake recipes in low-fat versions. I remember my father turning his homemade yogurt into a cheese-cloth lined sieve set over a large ceramic bowl, placing a dinner plate on top and leaving it in the fridge, overnight. By next morning we’d have a thick, creamy spread for bread.

Whenever I was on antibiotics, I was given yogurt. As a child, I never questioned the explanation that it would protect me against bacteria. Now I know that antibiotics kill not only the bad, but also some of the beneficial bacteria in the intestines, causing diarrhea and gastrointestinal infections, and the “Lactobacillus acidophilus in yogurt produce bacteriocins, restoring natural intestinal cultures.”

Aside from its gastronomical and medicinal virtues, yogurt has its practical uses. Some sources claim that two servings a day clears canker sores, while others advise spreading yogurt on the skin and waiting 20 minutes before rinsing it off with lukewarm water to soothe the pain of sunburn, cleanse the skin and tighten up pores.

But, I’d rather eat yogurt than wear it

Although many varieties and flavours fill the market, I prefer low-fat, plain yogurt containing active and living cultures. This gives me a base which I can turn into yogurt cheese, healthy drinks, incorporate into salad dressings, sauces or baking. Whether it’s eaten plain, served with fruits, drunk as a smoothie or baked into a whole grain muffin, I could not imagine a day without yogurt.


Orange Yogurt Crepes with Maple Yogurt Cheese
4 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 Tablespoons oil
1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon grated orange rind
Filling
1- small package instant vanilla pudding
2 cups low fat yogurt
sliced fresh fruit of choice

In a large bowl combine instant pudding and yogurt. Beat until mixture thickens. Refrigerate until use.

In a large bowl, beat eggs; add milk, yogurt, oil, flour, salt, sugar and rind. Beat until smooth. Leave at room temperature for one hour.
Heat a 10 inch skillet.

Brush with oil or butter and spoon in 3 Tablespoons of batter.

Tilt skillet to spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Cook 15 to 20 seconds or edges of crepe pull away from sides of pan, over medium heat. Lift crepe with fingers and turn immediately onto waxed paper.

Repeat until batter is used up, oiling pan after each crepe.
Place 4 tablespoons of refrigerated filling in one half of the crepe and top with fresh fruit. Fold the other half over.

Dust with powdered sugar.

Serve with maple yogurt cheese.

Maple Yogurt Cheese
1 cup firm yogurt cheese
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
Using a fork or wire whisk, beat the ingredients together until creamy.

~~~~~~~~

Whirling into Ecstasy

From Africa to Russia, from Australia to North America the world has been celebrating the 800th anniversary of the great Sufi philosopher and mystic poet Mevlâna Jalaluddin Rumî (1207-1273).

Story and Photos by: Füsun Atalay ~ Copyright © 2007

Celebrating the 8OOth anniversary of their philosopher’s birth, followers of Mevlâna Jalaluddin Rumî have travelled the world sharing his ideas of peace and spitiual freedom.With them, Whirling Dervishes joined in to take participants for a spin.

I was fortunate enough to attend Rumî’s 8OOth birthday symposium held at Concordia University, Montreal: the Mevlâna Rumî and Intercultural and Civilization Dialogue dedicated to the International Year of Rumi, 2007 UNESCO. The symposium was sponsored by Dialog Foundation Canada — the first of its kind in Montréal — and was followed by a magnificent Sufi music and Whirling Dervish ceremony at Oscar Peterson Concert Hall.

A panel of Canadian and Turkish scholars — Kenan Gürsoy, Bilâl Kuspinar, Lynda Clarke and Samir Salha — discussed Rumî from ethical, epistemological, political and ecological points of view and showed how his messages to humanity have transcended history, religion, political and geographical tensions, and are more alive and relevant in the contemporary world. They demonstrated the universality of Rumi’s words on the unification of humanity and how peace, dialogue and enlightened knowledge can transcend all nations and religions and overshadow all political misunderstandings.

Natural wisdom

Concordia’s Clarke explained how Rumî perceived nature as an entity that possesses wisdom and communicates with God, its creator. He wrote that processes of nature are controlled by God, and all atoms of Earth and heaven are God’s army. Nature is articulate — it speaks (literally) and only the mystic (enlightened) mind hears it.

Rumî believed the unenlightened man lives as a slave to the dictates of the material world. The spiritual practices his followers pursue are aimed at achieving enlightenment through submission to a higher order of spirituality, without which the real self is but a slave to the ego and is destined to live in an eternal state of conflict.

The true self, he said, cannot receive spiritual guidance and nourishment if it’s cut off from the heart, which is the centre of divine love, faith, music and poetry. Humanity is nurtured by overcoming the enslavement of the soul. Thus, in Rumî philosophy, “… the love of God leads to the lover forgetting himself in the love of the Beloved.” (Source: “The Life and Spiritual Milieu of Mevlâna Jalaluddin Rumî,” translated by Camille and Kabir Helminski)

Whirling Dervishes are known as Semazen after the whirling dance ceremony. They are members of an Islamic sect, the Sufi, and followers of the order Rumî founded. The philosopher lived in Konya, Turkey during the Seljuk period (13th Century). The Mevlevî Order influenced many aspects of Ottoman culture from the 14th to the 20th century,xleaving indelible marks in calligraphy, visual arts and poetry, although its greatest impact is probably in music.

In his voluminous verses, Mevlâna emphasized that “music uplifts our spirit to realms above, and we hear the tunes of the Gates of Paradise.” Consequently, the meeting places of dervishes became academies of art, dance and music.

World tour

Whirling Dervishes have been travelling around the world in 2007 to offer an insight into Rumî philosophy. Through the whirling ceremony called Sema, they seek unification of the three principal components of man’s nature: emotion, mind and spirit, and the purification of all three by turning to Divine Unity.

A fundamental premise of Rumî philosophy maintains that everything in life revolves within its structural atoms, and humans live — however natural and unconsciously — by means of the revolution of these particles. Since everything in the universe, from the minutest cells to the largest planets, is constantly revolving, the Semazen participate consciously in the shared revolution of existence because they believe free will and intellect are what distinguish human beings from other creatures.

Observing the Whirling Dervishes was one the most captivating spiritual ceremonies I have seen in my life. The Sema ceremony started with very deliberate, gentle turns.

The unique attires of the dervishes were just as symbolic as the ceremony: their conical hats represented the tombstone of their egos. White robes with full skirts symbolized the shrouds of their egos.

Over these, they wore full black cloaks which they removed before they started their whirling. These black cloaks were representations of the worldly tombs which they shed as an indication of their will to be born to spiritual truth and be delivered from the attachments of the material world.

The Semazen stood very straight, with their arms crossed over their chests — a posture which symbolizes the number one, expressing God’s singularity. Then they greeted their sheikh (the leader of the order), who symbolizes the sun illuminating the universe.

One by one they shed their black cloaks, greeted their sheikh and each other before they started whirling.Their arms unfolded gently like the wings of a bird as they turned like Earth turns around its own axis. With one foot grounded on the Earth and other giving them momentum and encompassing all nations, they started spinning into a trance, through which they seek divine love, truth and self-transformation to unite with their Creator before returning to life as servants to all creation.

Although I couldn’t understand all of the words in their chants, I was fascinated by the hauntingly beautiful music and the voice of the singer. Five musicians played Turkish instruments: the ney, which is a type of flute; the tanbur, a long-necked lute; kemenche, a three-stringed fiddle; an ud, which is akin to a lute, and the kanun, a zither.

The Sema ended with a reading from the Qu’ran as the sheikh and dervishes greeted each other once more with a gesture of peace and left to the accompaniment of joyful music.

Mevlâna symposiums and Sema ceremonies are scheduled to continue in Edmonton and Vancouver.

Anyone who would like organize Rumî panel presentations and Sema ceremonies in St. John’s, NL can contact the Dialog Foundation at http://www.dialogfoundation.ca/

A short clip of a Sema can be viewed on YouTube at :

http://www.istanbullife.org/whirling-dervish-ceromony


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