cookeatblog.com » Turkish Food

Bulgur & Silverbeet Pilaf with Caramalised Fennel

leej — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 14:00:59 +0000

I love bulgur wheat – It’s a brilliant alternative to rice and has it’s own nutty flavour which I find hard to resist. It’s a filling and satisfying dish that’s great for any wintery day. The ideal thing to make you fall asleep in front of the TV after you’ve eaten. Silverbeet pairs very well, both earthy and hearty and both filled with flavour. This is a fabulous little dish that I know you’re just going to love.

INGREDIENTS:
For the fennel:
1 fennel bulb (thinly sliced)
1 small red onion (finely chopped)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 lemon (zest and juice of)
salt & pepper

For the Pilaf:
1 small red onion (finely diced)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 cup bulgur wheat
2 cups hot vegetable stock
300g silverbeet leaves (roughly chopped)
salt & pepper
80g pine nuts (lightly toasted in a dry frying pan)
1 teaspoon sumac

DIRECTIONS:
For the fennel:
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a moderate/low heat. Add the onion and fennel and cook for 15-20 minutes stirring regularly until caramalised. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, zest and lemon juice and set aside.

For the pilaf:
Heat a large pan with the oil over a moderate heat. Add the onion and chilli flakes and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Add the bulgur and silverbeet leaves and stir for 1 minute until the leaves have wilted. Pour in the vegetable stock and season with salt & pepper. Stir once to incorporate then when you reach a boil, reduce the heat to very low and simmer very gently for 10-12 minutes until all the water has evaporated and the bulgur is cooked through. Remove the lid, place a clean tea towel over the pan then return the lid. This way, any steam that rises will be caught by the tea towel and not drip back into the pan to make the pilaff gluggy. Leave for 10 minutes then remove lid, sprinkle in the pine nuts and fluff up with a fork.

SERVING:
Arrange the rice in a serving bowl and top with the fennel. Sprinkle over the sumac and maybe even a pinch of chilli flakes if you feel like it, and serve. You can serve this dish hot or at room temperature.

Roast Duck with Black Za’atar

leej — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:00:42 +0000

Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice mix which incorporates a variety of herbs and spices and used in soups, stews and even sprinkled over bread to create a truly delicious flavour. One of the main components of any za’atar are sesame seeds – this version uses back sesame to form a rub for duck. Slowly roasted, the duck becomes fork tender and is a perfect match for the earthy, fragrant spices in the za’atar. Try this!

INGREDIENTS:
1.5-2kg duck
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 lemons (cut into large wedges)

For the za’atar:
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
1/2 tablespoon sumac
1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 150ºC

In a dry fring pan, lightly toast the sesame and cumin seeds. Leave to cool slightly then grind into a semi fine powder in a spice grinder or pestle & mortar. Stir in the sumac, cinnamon, thyme, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Wash and pat dry the duck with paper towels inside and out. Place the duck into a roasting tin. Drizzle over the oil and rub into the bird then sprinkle over all the za’atar to cover. Arrange two of the lemons around and underneath the duck. Cover the roasting tin with foil and roast for 3 ½ hours – baste the duck with the cooking juices every 30 minutes or so. Remove the foil and turn up the heat to 180ºC to crispen up the skin.

Remove from the oven and rest for 5-10 minutes before gently removing as much meat as you can with two forks to a waiting serving platter.

SERVING:
Serve with the remaining lemon wedges to squeeze over the duck, alongside salad, pilaf or vegetables.

Pistachio & Yoghurt Cake

leej — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 21:49:27 +0000

I was in the mood for some coffee and cake this afternoon – it was pouring with rain outside and the house was cold. I wanted to warm the place up and fill it with delicious cake baking aromas. I didn’t have the patience to leave the house for ingredients so when I happened upon this recipe from Silvena Rowe I was delighted to find everything waiting for me in the cupboards. What luck! This cake is sublime. Nutty, rich but not heavy it is just packed with flavour and body. It’s really simple to make so is guaranteed a place on my cake baking repertoire.

INGREDIENTS:
200g unsalted and shelled pistachio nuts
185g caster sugar
225g self-raising flour
150g unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon greek style yoghurt
3 eggs (beaten)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 180ºC

In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until they form a consistency of coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, flour, butter and cardamom and blend to form a coarse breadcrumb texture. Tip into a large bowl then stir in the yoghurt and eggs until well combined.

Lightly grease, then flour a 20cm spring form cake tin and tip in the cake mix. Smooth the top then bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Cover the tin with foil then bake for another 20-30 minutes until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Remove and leave for 2 minutes before taking out of the cake tin to cool on a wire rack.

Once cooled, dust generously with icing sugar and serve.

SERVING:
A cup of coffee and an episode of The View!

Turkish Clay Pot Prawns

leej — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 06:26:53 +0000

This delicious dish from Turkey is really simple. Called Guvech over there it refers to the pot it is cooked in. Normally a clay dish which is served at the table piping hot with meat, poultry or in this instance seafood. The prawns compliment the sweet tomato sauce and salty feta perfectly. I devoured mine with some crusty bread like a pitbull terrier, which should give you some indication just how tasty this was.

INGREDIENTS: serves 3-4
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion (finely diced)
2 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger (grated)
1/2 teaspoon hot chilli flakes
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
400g can finely chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh oregano (finely chopped)
1/4 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped)
salt & pepper
24 large raw king prawns (shelled & deveined)
90g feta cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 240ºC

Heat a large frying pan with the oil over a moderate heat. When hot, add the onion, garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute. Add the chilli, molasses and tomatoes and about 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes until some of the oil separates. Remove from the heat and stir in the oregano and parsley. Season with salt & pepper.

Spoon into a large earthenware casserole dish or 4 individual dishes and arrange the prawns in one layer on top. Crumble over the feta cheese and then season with more black pepper.

Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the prawns are fully cooked and the feta just beginning to brown.

Leave to rest for a couple of minutes before serving.

SERVING:
Serve directly from the bowl with lots of crusty bread to soak up the delicious sauce.

Turkish Navy Beans

leej — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:00:37 +0000

I remember eating a similar dish to this in Istanbul in one of the amazing meze restaurants dotted around the city. The dish I tried was intensely acidic with vinegar and lemon juice and if I remember rightly, came with a few wedges of hard boiled egg. I was in a hurry, and couldn’t be arsed to boil an egg, so mine goes without. The beans are beautifully creamy and the sharpness of the vinegar and lemon juice are amazing – I ate mine with some BBQd Italian sausages – not traditionally Turkish, but delicious nevertheless.

INGREDIENTS:
400g canned navy beans
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ lemon (zest & juice)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons finely sliced red onion

DIRECTIONS:
Drain the navy beans from their juice and rinse under a cold tap. Place into a bowl and mix together with all the other ingredients except the red onion. Let the beans rest in the fridge for 30 minutes to develop in flavour. Check for seasoning then spoon onto a serving plate. Top with the red onion then serve.

SERVING:
This dish works excellently as a side to either meat, poultry or seafood.

Circassian Chicken

leej — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 14:00:43 +0000

This is a classic Turkish dish which is quite unlike anything I’ve tasted before. I’ve eaten it many times, but never made my own until now. It’s actually not too difficult, but does take a little time. The results are spectacular. It’s a kind of pate made from shredded chicken mixed with a deliciously rich yoghurt and walnut sauce. It’s a great cold meze dish or even better starter served with some crusty bread or toast.

INGREDIENTS:
To poach the chicken:
1 large chicken
1 onion (quartered)
1 sprig parsley
1 sprig thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 lemon
5 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon coriander seeds

Walnut Sauce:
150g walnuts
30g butter (unsalted)
1 onion (finely diced)
4 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons paprika (sweet)
1/2 teaspoon paprika (hot)
2 slices bread (crusts removed)
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
120g natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon fresh coriander (chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)

DIRECTIONS:
To poach the chicken:
Combine chicken and all the poaching ingredients in a large pan and cover with 2 litres of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and let the chicken sit for a further 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan, cover and cool completely. When cool, shred the chicken using a fork and reserve the meat.

Strain the stock, skimming off any impurities that rose to the surface and set aside.

To make the walnut sauce:
Soak the bread in a little of the chicken stock and set aside.

Heat the butter in a small pan over a low/medium heat and gently fry the onion, garlic, hot and sweet paprika for 10 minutes until soft. Set aside.

Add the walnuts to a food processor and whiz until you have a fine consistency. Add the onion mixture and blend till you have a smooth texture. Squeeze the bread then crumble it into processor along with the salt, pepper and lemon juice. As the processor blends, gradually pour in about 250ml of the reserved chicken cooking liquid until the sauce resembles a thick mayonnaise.

Spoon into a large mixing bowl and thoroughly mix in the shredded chicken, yoghurt and coriander and parsley. Check for seasoning then chill in the fridge for at least an hour to develop the flavours.

SERVING:
I served it simply sprinkled with a little smoked paprika alongside some crusty toasted bread and a generous drizzling of extra virgin olive oil.

Turkish Spinach and Pistachio Pilaf

leej — Sat, 28 May 2011 14:00:17 +0000

This was an absolute triumph. I just love the earthy flavours running through this dish. It’s such a simple yet delicious way to bring the humble rice to a new level. It’s so tasty I didn’t want it to end. An absolute delicious combination of flavours. One of the best things I’ve cooked in a while.

INGREDIENTS: (Serves 2-3)
40g unsalted butter
1/2 onion (finely chopped)
1 garlic clove (chopped)
200g fresh spinach leaves (shredded)
125g basmati rice
250ml hot chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
80g unsalted shelled pistachios (roughly chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh dill (chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh mint (chopped)

DIRECTIONS:
Soak the rice in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain in a fine sieve until the water runs clear. Set aside.

Melt half the butter in a saucepan over a moderate heat then gently fry the onion and garlic for 4 minutes until translucent and soft. Turn up the heat and add the spinach and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until wilted. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute then add the hot chicken stock, salt and pepper and simmer for 30 seconds. Turn down the heat to very low, cover the pan and cook, undisturbed for 12 minutes.

Just before the 12 minutes is up, heat the remaining butter in a small frying pan until just bubbling. Add the pistachios and stir briefly until the butter foams around the nuts. Cook for 20-30 seconds then remove from the heat. Open the rice and scatter the nuts and butter over the surface then add the chopped herbs without stirring. Return the lid and cook for a further 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir the rice together briefly, then place a clean tea towel over the pan and return the lid. Leave aside for 10 minutes then fluff up the rice with a fork and spoon into a serving platter.

SERVING:
This is great with anything – I love it with lamb or chicken but it works perfectly with fish and seafood.

Beetroot Dip

leej — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 08:42:48 +0000

This is a simple, delicious way to prepare beetroot. It’s a versatile little dish too, I made enough to use it not only as a dip with some Turkish bread, but also dolloped on top of a simple rocket and pistachio salad a couple of days later, I then used it the next evening alongside some lamb cutlets as a little condiment. It’s a hard worker! A delicious, smooth, sweet and fragrant little thing, not to mention beautifully colourful – it’s much tastier than shop bought too!

INGREDIENTS:
3 medium sized beetroot
2 tablespoons Greek style yoghurt
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt & pepper
1/2 lemon (juice of)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 200ºC. Trim the stalks and wrap each beetroot in foil separately – skin on. And place on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until the beets are soft through (pierce with a sharp knife). Unwrap the foil and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Cover your hands in a plastic bag, or wear rubber gloves and peel the beetroot. The skin should come away very easily.

Chop roughly and place in a food processor, along with all the other ingredients. Blend for 1-2 minutes until very smooth. Spoon into a bowl and serve at room temperature.

Turkish Bulgur Pilaf with Lamb and Silverbeet

leej — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 22:00:02 +0000

I first ate this in Turkey a few years ago in a beautiful tiny village of Soğanlı in Cappadocia. In between fending off the onslaught of villagers running from the mountains to sell us dolls, and being uncomfortably felt up having my picture taken with a local, this dish came as a welcome relief. It was a surprisingly flavourful treat and deceptively filling. The Turks love bulgur – they eat it in soups, salads, meatballs and all manner of stews. The coarse bulgur, which is used in this recipe, is a great substitute for rice and imparts a delicious nutty flavour to the overall dish. It’s absolutely delicious.

INGREDIENTS:
800g lean lamb steaks (cut into 3cm cubes)
2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon tomato puree
1 large onion (thinly sliced)
4 cups silverbeet (leaves & stems separated – both chopped)
2 tablespoons fresh mint (chopped)
2 cups coarse bulgur wheat
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
½ cup shelled pistachio nuts (roughly chopped)
½ teaspoon chilli powder

DIRECTIONS:
Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a casserole pan and fry the lamb pieces for 5 minutes until nicely browned. Add 1 teaspoon of the cumin and the tomato puree then pour in 1.25 litres of water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered for 1 hour.

Remove the meat from the liquid then pour 750ml of the stock into a measuring jug. Discard the rest.

Wipe the pan clean then heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over a moderate heat – add the onions and silverbeet stalks then fry gently for 5 minutes until soft and golden. Add the silverbeet leaves, mint leaves, the remaining 1 teaspoon of cumin, the chilli powder and salt & pepper and stir for 1-2 minutes until wilted. Return the lamb to the pan along with the bulgur, stock and half the pistachios and stir well. Let it come to a simmer then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat – open the pan and sprinkle over the remaining pistachios. Place a tea towel and return the lid to catch any residual steam- leave for 15 minutes before serving.

SERVING:
I served mine with a simple mint yoghurt sauce which suited the dish absolutely perfectly. Simply crush a large handful of fresh mint leaves with ½ teaspoon salt and a pinch of sugar in a pestle and mortar until pulped then stir in 3 heaped tablespoons of yoghurt and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

Liver with Red Onion & Sumac Salad

leej — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:00:19 +0000

I first ate this at the fabulous “Ottoman” restaurant in Sydney. One of the best Turkish restaurants I’ve ever eaten at. I had never been a fan of offal up until that very moment. I ate my first mouthful through gritted teeth but I needn’t have worried – it was absolutely delicious. Making my own at home was really very simple and the results absolutely identical. The liver is soft, and meltingly tender and marries perfectly with the sharp, tart onion salad. It’s a really delicious little dish.

INGREDIENTS:
300g lambs liver (membrane and sinew removed)
250ml milk
1 small red onion (thinly sliced)
2 tablespoons sumac
1/2 lemon (juice of)
1/2 cup rocket leaves (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

For frying:
60g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Once you’ve cleaned the liver, cut it into 3cm thick slices and place in a bowl. Pour over the milk, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Combine the onion, sumac, lemon juice, rocket leaves, olive oil and salt & pepper.

Drain the liver then pat dry with paper towels. Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan until bubbling and hot. Fry the liver for 30 seconds each side then drain briefly on paper towels. Sprinkle with a little salt & pepper and serve immediately.

SERVING:
Serve the liver with a little onion salad on the side along with a lemon wedge and some crusty bread.