Istanbul - April 2010

Diva:  Bonnie

Drinks:  Sara
Selection of Mediterranean wines

Turkish Apple Tea (Elma Cayi)

2 red apples, do not peel and do not remove the seeds, cut in 4 or 6
1 orange, do not peel, cut in 4 or 6
1 stick cinnamon
2 whole cloves
4 c water

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until the fruits are tender. Strain into the bowl pushing gently with the back of the spoon to remove all the liquid. Then pour into the tea glasses.

If you like you may sweeten with honey.

(From turkishcookbook.com)


Appetizer:  Ashley
Ali Nazir

2 lbs lamb, chopped


2 T shallot, minced

½ a green pepper, diced
1 T ancho chile powder
3 T sundried tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

2 c whole milk plain yogurt, drained

3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 eggplants

Call your friend Jen from Palouse Prairie Farm the morning you need to make your dish and ask for some lamb.  Have a 20 min conversation about what will defrost in time and what cut of meat will taste/work best.  Run over to her farm and grab said meat.  Defrost in a water bath.  Cut meat off of bone, trim and coarsely chop so you have about 2 lbs of tender meat (I used shoulder chops).


Drain yogurt for 1 hour, min.  Mix with garlic. set aside.


Drive all over the place looking for decent eggplants


Prick eggplants and roast in broiler until the skin starts to blacken and cave in.  Scrape out pulp, puree, and add salt and pepper to taste.  If you have an open flame, roast eggplants over the flame for a smokey flavor.


Heat a large skillet over med heat.  Add about 1 tbs of canola oil.  Add lamb and shallot.  Cook for a few minutes and then add green pepper, tomato and spices.  Cook until lamb is cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasonings.


Combine eggplant puree with garlic yogurt.


Put puree in a bowl.  Top with meat and garnish with parley.  Serve with flatbread, pita and crackers.

Soup:  Lovina
Red Lentil and Mint Soup (Ezo Gelin Corbasi)

½ c red lentils, washed and drained


¼ c fine grain bulgur, washed and drained

¼ c rice, washed and drained

2 T olive oil or butter
1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped
¼ c diced tomato, in a can
2 T tomato paste

4 or 5 c chicken stock

1 tsp paprika

½  tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 T dry mint

Salt

Pepper



Garnish:
2 tbsp butter

1 tsp dry mint



Sauté the onion with olive oil for about 2 minutes, then add garlic and saute until the smell of the garlic comes out. Throw the diced tomatoes in and let them soften for about 10 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients. First cook on high heat to bring to boil then turn the heat down to simmer. Cook for about half an hour, stirring occasionally. Pour it into the blender and pulse 3-4 times. Pour it back into the pot. If it's too thick, add a little bit more hot chicken stock or water.

Melt the butter in a small pan. When you see the bubbles turn the heat off. Add the dry mint and stir. Pour it into the soup, stir and serve with lemon wedges.

(From turkishcookbook.com)

Salad:  Colleen
Shepherd's Salad



2 lbs cherry tomatoes, halved

2 English cucumbers, quartered and chopped
2 yellow bell peppers, diced

1 small red onion, diced, salted, and rinsed

1 jar Kalamata olives, halved
lots of Feta, cubed

1 bunch flat leaf parsely, chopped

½ c fresh lemon juice
⅓ c olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Put all veggies in a bowl and mix.  Top with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper 30 minutes before serving.  Garnish with olives and feta.  For my salad, I only mixed the tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers in the main salad and left the rest of the ingredients as a garnish because I like choose your own adventure eating.

Side Dish: Aven

Saffron Pilaf

¾ c dried apricots
¾ c  honey wine
Soak the apricots in wine for about an hour.

2-3 saffron threads
¼ c hot water
Soak the saffron in hot water while sautéing the other ingredients

¼ c butter
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 c long grain brown rice

Sauté bay leaf, garlic and onion until onion is soft, add rice and cook until rice turns opaque

1 cinnamon stick
2 strips lemon peel
3 ½ c veggie or chicken broth

Add cinnamon, lemon peel, saffron and water, chopped apricots and wine and broth.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer with lid on for 45 minutes.
At this point rice should be almost done and there should still be some liquid.

Add 1 c orzo and cook for 20 more minutes.

I did have to add a little more liquid toward the end.
I added the orzo after only 30 minutes and it was overdone by the time the rice was cooked.  I think cooking the rice for 45 minutes should help.

Entrée:  Erin
Ali Nazik Kebabi


(eggplant purée with yogurt and ground meat)


4 long, thin medium-sized eggplants

3-4 “sivri” peppers or 2 Anaheims

1 T oil
2 ½ c yogurt
3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1 pound ground lamb (or beef or ground Quorn)

1 T butter
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

½ tsp red pepper
1 large green bell pepper, chopped

Roast the eggplants and Anaheim chiles over a flame to char the skin. Cool. Peel skin and mince the flesh (I used a blender).  Sauté in oil for 3 minutes, stirring continuously. Add yogurt, garlic and salt and mix thoroughly.  Set aside, keeping warm. Brown the meat in butter. Drain. Add salt and spices. Evenly spread the eggplant mixture in a shallow serving dish. Arrange the ground meat mixture in the center. Top with green pepper and serve warm.

(From GlobalGourmet.com)

Dessert:  Stacey
Turkish Lemon Cake (Limonlu Kek)



1 stick plus 2 T butter, room temperature

1 c sugar

2 egg yolks
½ c milk, room temperature
3 T lemon juice

zest from one lemon
1 ⅔ c flour

1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

3 egg whites, beaten until VERY stiff
 


Grease and flour a bundt cake pan very well.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  
Beat the butter with sugar until creamy.  Add in the egg yolks, one by one.  Add the lemon juice, zest, and milk, continue to mix.  Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in another bowl and slowly add to the butter mixture.  Mix until the batter is creamy.  Slowly add egg whites to the batter.  Spoon batter into cake pan.  Place pan on middle rack.  Bake for 35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.  Let sit for 15 mins. then turn out cake onto a wire rack to cool.  Serve cake with freshly whipped cream and berries.


(From www.turkishcookbook.com)


Wild Card:  Mariah
Turkish Spice Mix

3 T allspice berries
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
1 tsp cloves

When you are ready to spice it up Turkish style --combine the spices in a spice mill or clean coffee grinder and grind to a powder.

(From foodnetwork.com)

Lottery:  Tamara