New Year, New Beginnings and some Onion Rings

Happy New Year everyone.

Don't worry I am not going to be talking about my new year's resolution, or how I started my new year. 

Before I was in this new year madness, I was enjoying my Christmas Break. I woke up every single day saying to myself that I was going to study for the finals. But I wasn't "in the mood". I just wanted to relax, have fun and most importantly seize the day. And that's what I did. 

Since last time I went to a cooking course; which was about 2-3 years ago by the way, I wanted to attend another one. But I never got the time or I was not impressed with the content of the workshop etc. However this time since I was in a break and I actually was very excited about the menu of the workshop, I decided to attend. 

So I did. On the 23rd of December I attended a Burgers and Fries Workshop in Maslak with a friend. It was amazing. But also a little bit disastrous. It was my first time cooking with someone else rather than my mother. 

I had fun. However, some of our styles were not really compatible with each other. That's why the french fries look like this, some short, some long, some thin, some thick. Probably all kinds of fries exist here. No offense but this do not look appetising. But don't let the look change your mind about the dish, it was delicious. 

If we come to the things that I've learned:

1. Never ever wash the mushrooms. Just peel them and if you really need to use water,  use a wet cloth. When you don't wash the mushrooms, they do not leave a water when you cook them. I did this mistake when I was cooking a Mushroom Risotto. 
2. When making homemade mayonnaise, it is highly important for your mixing bowl to be dry. A drop of water may cause you to throw away the batch. 
3. Do not be afraid to get your hands messy. It is much more fun when you actually involve your hands rather than metal spoons.
4. Make sure that the cloth you are using to hold the hot tray is dry. If the mittens are wet, they stick to the pan and your finger might end up red. 
5. If your boil your potatoes before you fry them, then they will be more crispy. 
6. and most importantly; HAVE FUN!

What did I cook? Basically burgers and fries. However they were classy. 

First of all we started by making a ground beef out of a piece of meat by using knives. It was challenging. I was really shocked to hear that we were actually going to butcher. It was hard. I have never made ground beef myself before. And I don't think that I would ever do again. I mean it is waste of time. You can by the beef as ground from the butcher. So it wasn't necessary. 

Then we made our own mayonnaise, (which is again my first time). Even if you can buy mayonnaise from the grocery store, it is much more fun to make your own. It was delicious and a great exercise for your muscles. 

Then we prepared a chicken burger. It was a spicy one however really it was also very yummy. 

Finally we fried some onion rings. They were absolutely delicious. I was in love with them. When I got home, I just checked the recipe again and cooked them the next day. Now, my dad is a big fan of them.

So, here is the recipe that I think you will fall in love with:

3 large onions

100 g. flour

100 g. wheat or corn starch 

5 g. baking soda

Beer (just enough to make the batter as thick as a cake batch)

Salt and pepper

Oil for frying

1) Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Slowly, add in the beer until the mixture is as thick as a cake batter. 

2) Slice the onions in rings and then dip them into the batter. Coat them well. 

3) When the oil is hot, fry the onions. Fry 4-5 rings at a time according to the size of your pan. Both sides of course.

4) Take them to the plate when they are golden brown. Continue frying until all of your onions are fried. 

Enjoy.  

I did learn a lot in this cooking course and had fun. It was a wonderful experience.

I wish you all a happy new year full of fun things and wonderful experiences.