Hi everyone and hope this finds you well after what was most likely a hectic week, if its been anything like ours! Cath has once again been a very busy girl...no wonder she is so slim! Its all the running around that she does...she is our very own Energiser Bunny! This week, Cath has been helping out our friends at Reflect Mirrors with their showroom display dilemmas. As you can see below, she has managed to turn what was a stark and uninteresting space into a beautiful display, using items from the Charcoal Showroom. Michelle from Reflect was just thrilled with an end result that truly compliments the surrounding mirrors.
This Friday we are exploring just a smattering of the delights of Turkey. Our inspiration for this weeks blog has come in the form of New Arrivals to the showroom - our latest range of Antique Turkish Yoghurt Pots.
The bases of the Yoghurt urns taper to a narrow point, because they were intended to be partly buried.
Above: Our latest Antique Yoghurt Urns..now available instore.
When you purchase pots such as these from us at Charcoal Interiors, you are introducing a sense of history....a story...we find our customers really connect to certain pieces because of this. It creates an added dimension of interest, not to mention unique style to a home. Great as a feature inside, or a striking addition to the garden.
Above: Another of our gorgeous Yoghurt urns...you can see how the yoghurt has seeped out over time and stained the exterior creating a wonderfully interesting patina
This week I wanted to share with you what is my all time favourite Lamb recipe...The Lamb Kofta. I just find that it is so quick and very versatile too. We like to eat a lot of platter style meals at home due to the 4 teenagers and constant line-up of hangers on. So, these are great on a platter and will impress. Serve with some yoghurt (mix in some lemon juice and spice the yoghurt up with a little cumin, pepper and mint)...this can make the dish a bit more interesting and flavoursome. I also use these balls as my all time fave pizza topping. If this interests you contact me for the recipe, as I do have a few different ways of serving this up....boy..is it delicious.
Heres the recipe for the Lamb Kofta Balls.....
Ingredients (serves 8)
- 500g lamb mince
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup firmly packed fresh continental parsley leaves
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- 35g (1/2 cup) fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, lightly whisked
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 75g (1/2 cup) plain flour
- 2 tbs olive oil
Method
- Line a baking tray with plastic wrap. Combine the lamb, onion, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and tomato paste in a large glass bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and egg, and stir until well combined (I use my hands...get stuck into it!). Season with salt and pepper.
- Divide mixture into 16 portions and shape each portion into a 4cm ball. Place on prepared tray. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 15 minutes to chill.
Place flour on a plate. Roll kofta in flour and shake off excess. Heat half the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add half the kofta and cook, turning occasionally, for 8 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat with the remaining oil and kofta, reheating oil between batches. Serve as suggested above.....
And finally....Lets Beat the Nagara (Turkish Drum) and get stuck into Cocktail Friday...and this week we have excelled with the Turkish Delight Martini. Even if you dont end up making one...you just have to check out how they are made. We popped the Turkish Delight in ours as suggested in the recipe...and it was 'şaşırtıcı'! (Thats Turkish for AMAZING...). Its a 'You Light Up My Life' experience...so wrong...yet just so right....
Turkish Delight Martini
50ml rose petal schnapps
tsp gin
tsp martini bianco
2 tsp rose water
½ tsp orange flower water
tsp gin
tsp martini bianco
2 tsp rose water
½ tsp orange flower water
Chill a martini glass in the freezer or fill with ice. Pour all the ingredients quickly into an ice filled cocktail shaker and swirl without shaking until the outside of the shaker is frosted - 30 seconds.
Strain into the martini glass. For added jazziness pop a piece of icing sugar coated Turkish delight into the glass, or float a pink rose petal on top....How pretty!...not to mention a complete girlie Cocktail Friday experience.
And, so as we scrape ourselves off the floor after a few of these, we bid you goodbye...Happy Friday to all. Hoping that you get a chance to put your feed up and have a read of the blog.
Cath is having a few days off and we look forward to seeing her Cocktail Friday photos next week. I am really looking forward to experimenting with my lime green decorating ideas while she is gone....can you tell I'm the one who does the words and she is the one who does the Interior Design?
Until next week....yours in all things unique...Jen, Cathie and Colette...The Charcoal Girls...xxx
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