Mediterranean Archives - The White Ramekins

The simplicity of ingredients and the freshness of Mediterranean cuisine has always intrigued me. How fresh a vegetable or fish can appear on your palate, is something which keeps me going back to the exciting flavors which this cuisine has to offer. The food is simple, fresh and alive with flavors, with which you can never go heavy and dull. Olive Bar & Kitchen, New Delhi is one such place, which has to offer the similar medley of flavors with freshest of ingredients. Nestled between the bylanes of Qutub Minar and the greens of Delhi’s Ridge forest relaxes an ancient Mughal mansion, with a tall standing banyan tree and an open courtyard restaurant.

It transforms into an exotic meeting place for recipes from around the Mediterranean, which I got to experience few days back. Chef Sujan S. has created a new menu inspired from the seasonal and local produce and I was there to experience those exciting recipes which Chef has developed. It was a sunny day, so we preferred to be seated in the courtyard. All white painted walls and the sun peeking through the shades of a tall banyan tree had already made the afternoon pleasant and relaxed.

We started the meal with Wild mushroom tortellini, Stuffed morel and mushroom consommé. The broth was high on mushroom flavors and the tortellini was perfectly cooked, al dente. It was served with some parmesan crackers and freshly baked bread and some popovers. The popovers were amazingly light and airy.

Next came the wood oven roasted Pumpkin & Green bean Salad with Mascarpone labneh, quinoa and popped amaranth. I am not a big fan of pumpkin in salads or savory dishes, but this one completely blew me out. The roasted baby pumpkins had lovely aromatic hints of orange and the fluffier mascarpone labneh paired the green beans well. The popped amaranth and quinoa gave a lovely crunch to the salad.

Deep fried Brie and marinated beetroot with apricot pûrée and pine nuts was our next salad. Marinated beetroot had a kick of flavors and the pine nuts added the just perfect bite to the salad. Personally, I don’t like brie that much, so I gave it pass, but the beetroot kept the flavors simple yet amazing.

Another salad of red wine roasted plums and figs with rocket was something which completely bowled me over. Boy! it was a party of flavors in your mouth. Still dream about those complex sweet and sour flavors balanced with the peppery rocket leaves. Really definitive and potent flavors!

As palate cleanser and before we move on to main course, we were served a Cranberry sorbet with green apple caviar. The sorbet had perfect sweet and puckery flavor and the green apple caviar added to the pink blush beauty of the sorbet. A delish way to move on to next course!

Main course started with white reef code with ratatouille and red pepper emulsion served with truffle mash. The fish was flaky yet tender, perfectly cooked. Ratatouille was presented in kind of deconstructed way and flavors were just right. The truffle mash was mind blowing, dreamily light, fluffy and high on flavor. Chef told that they source the potatoes from Mumbai, which have slightly savory flavor to them.

Next came the Gnocchi with broccoli and blue cheese sauce cooked in a cast iron pan. The gnocchi was tender and not too heavy on palate and blue cheese added the depth of flavor. Next in main course was slow cooked pork belly served with carrot puree, maple glazed apple and a pork skin crackling. The pork belly had depth of flavors which probably have got in by slow cooking. Maple glazed apple and carrot puree mellowed the flavors, while crackling was super thin, light and perfectly crispy. Well balanced flavors and the beautiful presentation!

In the dessert menu, we got to taste tiramisu, strawberry mille feuille and petit four. Tiramisu had a nice kick of coffee and kahlua and was not overly sweet unlike many other places. It was just the way I like my tiramisu to be. Strawberry mille feuille had an interesting presentation. Instead of traditional way of layering, it came layered in a glass jar, with alternate layers of pastry cream, fruits and crunchy pastry. It was very light and kind of summary dessert, which was not too heavy on palate. Another favorite dessert of mine, but presented in an unconventional way. Petit four, a selection of four small servings of berries with honeycomb, butter cookies, chocolate bon bons and macaroons presented in a turquoise colored wooden box. A perfect and pleasing way to sum up the meal.

Clearly, Chef Sujan Sarkar’s way of presenting the flavors from around the Mediterranean is unconventional yet remarkably pleasing to both the eyes and palate. His focus on using the local produce and fresh ingredients and to make every meal a colorful experience for Olive’s patrons is worth mentioning. All in all, it was a fine dining experience in a more relaxed and serene ambiance, that is what Olive Bar & Kitchen are famous for! Am I going back again? Yes, definitely, whenever I want to unwind myself from the stressful week and want to enjoy some quality time with friends and family over some good food and relaxed surroundings.

Baked pita, minced lamb koftas, sizzling meat satays, kebabs, falafel, and a good dollop of hummus sprinkled generously with freshly chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and parsley is what comes to my mind, when someone mentions to me of Mediterranean food. Those fresh produce and power packed flavors are good enough to take you through the tapestry of cultures which probably those cities have to offer. These days, a burnt eggplant and tahini dip more commonly known as Baba Ganouj and gorgeous gorgeous silky smooth hummus made of chickpeas and tahini served alongside baked pita chips and fresh cucumbers are must for us to accompany the drinks, whenever we throw a dinner party at home. And they are always a hit with our friends.

Somewhere in my deep desires, I have a long due wish to visit the countries of Mediterranean, more than any other place on this earth, for the diversity of food which they have to offer. It is the use of fresh and local produce, which people tend to eat seasonally and eat what grows locally in their area. And the list is endless.

Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem is a book which talks about the medley of Jerusalem’s food, which has recipes inspired by the flavors of Jerusalem, some age old traditional dishes and some updated to suit the evolving taste buds of the today’s generations. The book weaves in the wonderful mixture of countless cultures and historical events that have influenced the city’s cuisine for centuries. The book has many vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes classified under Vegetables, Pulses, Grains, Meat, Soup Sweets, and all are so enticing. The anecdotal stories behind the recipes, depicting cultures associated with them tantalizes and educates at the same time. These chicken and zucchini burgers, adapted from the book are delicately spiced with cumin and perked up with a generous slather of tangy sharp lemon yogurt and sumac sauce. And the best part is they are a real health fast food, as it hardly takes 20 minutes to whip them up, including preparation. You could take them to a friend’s or pack them in lunchbox for work.

Ingredients

Chicken & Zucchini Burgers

500 gm minced chicken
200 gm grated zucchini
40 gm spring onions, thinly sliced
1 large egg
2 tbsp chopped mint
2 tbsp chopped coriander
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
100 ml sunflower oil for searing

Yogurt & Sumac Sauce

200 gm Greek/hung yogurt
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sumac
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions

First make the yogurt and sumac sauce by placing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well and set aside or chill until needed.
Preheat the oven to 220 degree C. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for meatballs except sunflower oil. Once evenly mixed, shape into burgers, depending upon how big you want your patty to be.
Pour enough sunflower oil in a large frying pan, so you get a thin layer of oil at the bottom. Heat well and sear the meatballs in batched over medium heat on all the sides. Cook them for about 4 minutes, adding oil as needed, until golden brown.
Carefully transfer the seared meatballs into an oven tray lined with grease proof paper and place in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until just cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature, with sauce spooned over.

Food Review | Olive Bar & Kitchen, New Delhi

Chicken & Zucchini Burgers With Yogurt & Sumac Sauce