Refreshing drinks for the summer

Hrous with a Turkish twist

Ingredients:

● 500g onions, thinly sliced

● 25g sea salt

● ½ tsp turmeric

Then per 150g of squeezed onion:

● 1-2 tsp Turkish aci biber salcasi or dried Aleppo pepper (to taste)

● ½ tsp ground caraway seeds

● ½ tsp coriander or (even better) tabil spice mix

● ½ tsp dried mint

● ½ tsp dried rosebuds

● ¼ tsp cinnamon

● 3 tbs olive oil

Using your hands, mix the onions with the salt and turmeric. Pack tightly into a large glass jar. Cover the surface of the onions in the jar with a layer of cling film, which should run a little way up the sides of the glass. This reduces exposure to the air and unwanted bacteria.

You can use a Ziploc bag to weigh down the onions so (eventually) they stay submerged under their own juice. Do this by pushing the empty bag into the remaining space in the jar, fill with water, then seal the bag. Don’t seal the lid of the jar — gases should be allowed to escape. Cover the opening of the jar with muslin and secure with a rubber band.

Leave for three months at room temperature. Check occasionally to make sure onions are submerged.

Squeeze the onions dry using a muslin cloth.

Add the aci biber salcasi or dried Aleppo pepper to a food processor, along with the spices and the onions. Add oil while you blend. Put into a jar. Cover with olive oil. Keep refrigerated.

Pomegranate and maple water kefir

This refreshing drink is a great companion on a summer afternoon. Water kefir crystals, or tibicos, can easily be found from suppliers online. It has a much lighter flavour than kombucha. Compared with a kombucha culture, the squidgy, translucent kefir crystals are far less ugly too. You can play around with all sorts of flavours at the second stage of fermentation: other fruit juices, slices of ginger, a cinnamon stick or just another dollop of maple syrup. Ingredients:

● 40g kefir water crystals

● 80g pure maple syrup (preferably dark)

● 1l filtered water

● 2 tsp pomegranate seeds

Use a large, clean glass jar with a lid. Add the kefir water crystals, maple syrup and filtered water. Leave at room temperature for a day or two. Bubbles should appear, a sign that the crystals are eating up the sugar.

Stop when the water is starting to sour, but still has a hint of sweetness. At one point the water can seem flavourless — that’s the turning point. Wait it out.

Strain the water into glass bottles and leave an inch or two of space (the crystals are ready for use in another batch). Lightly crush the pomegranate seeds, then add to the bottle along with the juice.

Leave to ferment at room temperature for a day or two. The longer the drink is left, the more carbonated and sour it will become. When ready, “burp” the contents and refrigerate. Watch out for exploding bottles.

YOU CAN PLAY AROUND WITH ALL SORTS OF FLAVOURS AT THE SECOND STAGE OF FERMENTATION