My Dad’s Famous Pizza

One thing I recently learned on this trip to Canada, is WHY my dad makes such perfect pizzas.  Turns out he purposely worked at a pizza parlor when he was young just so that he could learn all the tricks of the trade.  Trust me when I say, it shows.  He kneaded the dough and laid it out in a perfect circle on the pizza rack.  He is famous among our friends for making the BEST homemade pizza ever!  This is one family tradition that I never skimp out on.  I don’t even have to ask, they already know that this is one meal that makes the list of things I need to eat before I leave, every single time.

Me getting in on the action

You cannot have my dad’s famous pizza without the Labatt Blue beer and Banana Peppers

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Gaigonakh

Here is another traditional Turkish breakfast dish. It’s basically our version of a pancake, only it is cooked in a very sweet grape molasses.  It is very sweet so it’s typically eaten with bread and tea.  Even though thisis not something I crave regularly at all, I still asked my stepmom to make it because sometimes it’s  nice to eat things simply because they are familiar to you.

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Palda, the once every 7 years treat

“Palda” as we say in Turkish, or “Faloodeh” in Farsi is a cold dessert made from cornstarch, pussy willow extract and sugar.  It can only be found in its frozen form in stores here in California.  The only time I have ever had it fresh was in Iran, or when I visited my family in Canada many years ago.  I was lucky enough that my step-mom wanted to make it again!  Of course, I had to capture all the action this time around.  It is such an involved process but really worth it, if you ask me.

How it’s made:

First you start by mixing one part cornstarch with 2 parts water in a big pot over medium heat.  You keep stirring until the mixture becomes really thick and hard to stir.

Starts off very liquid

Keep stirring until it becomes very thick

Cover the pot with a cloth until the mixture becomes more clear and not as cloudy as the picture above

Next comes the fun part. You scoop the mixture into a special device designed to make palda.  It consists of a tin container with tiny holes at the bottom, and everything gets pushed through the holes to form noodles.  The noodles are then dropped into a bowl of ice cold water.  Cold water helps the noodles maintain their form, and keeps them from turning mushy.

The noodles are chilled and served in a bowl of water flavored with pussy willow extract, sugar and sometimes lime juice as seen below

 How can I describe the taste? First off, pussy willow extract??  I really cannot describe that taste. It is so unique and unlike anything I can compare it to.  One sip of this and it took me back to 16 years ago when I had my first bite.  If you want to try this on your own, you can buy it at any Persian grocery store, just ask for faloodeh. It will be in the frozen section and will most likely come in a white plastic container.  However, the one you find in stores will be flavored with rose water.  You will probably have to go to Iran to have the authentic and original form of palda. Overall, when it is nice and cold, and has a little bit of lime juice, it is such a refreshing snack.   I savored every bite because who knows when I’ll get to have this again!

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Tahchin

This next dish is great to make for a household or party of at least 4 or more.  It is a chicken and rice dish that is baked in the oven.  Chicken is sauteed separately with spices, barberries are optional.  In a separate bowl, cooked rice is mixed with yogurt, raw eggs and saffron.  The chicken is layered in between two layers of rice and placed in the oven until the outside is perfectly crispy. The end result is a cakey, saffron and butter flavored rice with delicious chicken in the center.  But the best part is the crunchy outer layer.  In order to get this crunchy outside layer, you must make sure to generously grease your oven dish.  Unfortunately it is the type of food that no matter how much you eat, you don’t get full! Either that or it’s just so good you don’t want to stop. After 4 servings, I coulda kept going…

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“Canadian” meatballs

Why is this dish called Canadian meatballs? I have no idea. But it’s what my brother and sister used to describe it and the name just stuck. Ever since I tried it a few years back, I’ve been asking for this every time I come to visit.  It is easy to make and so delicious! Try it for yourself 

What you’ll need:

1 lb. ground beef

1 large onion

2 tbsp. tomato paste

2 cups of water

3 tbsp. oil

1 ½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. tumeric

½ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. black pepper

1. In a large bowl, shred one onion and add beef, 1 tsp. salt and black pepper. Mix together until well blended.

2. Add the oil to a frying pan. Form little 1 inch meatballs and lay them in the skillet. Cook over medium heat until slightly browned.

3. In a second pot add 1 tbsp. of oil, tomato paste, and the rest of the spices and cook for a couple minutes. Add meatballs and 1 to 2 cups of water until all meatballs are covered. Cook for another 20 minutes over medium heat.

4. Serve with rice.

Check out my pictures below!

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