Bulgur Pilav ( For Tuğba )

Bulgur Pılav

**fun fact **
In Turkısh pirinç pronounce pea-rinch is uncooked rice
Pilav pea-love is the word for when it is cooked


Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
1 tsp Turkish chilli paste (biber salçasi)
3 tomatoes, diced
salt and pepper
2 cups coarse bulgur, rinsed
1 litre chicken stock


Instructions

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion, chilli paste and tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the onion and tomato are starting to soften.

Stir in the burghul, add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until the stock has been absorbed.



Turkish Delights notes::


Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C.

 Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml.
 All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed.
All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified.
 All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Turkish Asparagus with Olive oil

Turkish Asparagus with Olive oil


1 bunch asparagus (1 lb)
2 medium carrots, julienne cut
1 onion, julienne cut
3 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
5-6 mushrooms, sliced/quartered
2-3 tomatoes, crushed
1 tsp salt to taste
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp fresh black pepper
4-5 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup hot water
Dill for garnish


Chop the onions and garlic. Cover the bottom of the pot with them. Place a layer of asparagus cut into ~1 inch length. Then, cover them with julienne cut carrots and sliced mushrooms. Finally, spread crushed tomatoes all over. Sprinkle with salt and sugar. Drizzle with olive oil and add hot water. Add some fresh black pepper. Close the lid and cook over low heat until the carrots are cooked (for about 30-35).
Serve either hot or cold with fresh dill on top if desired.
ENJOY

Zucchini Dolma

even though the Greeks call wrapped vine leave Dolma or Dolmades , the word Dolma in Turkish means to stuff 
anything that is wrapped like vine leaves are called Sarma ( to wrap)


about 1kg of medium nice and firm zucchini 
1½ cups rice
1 medium onion, chopped finely
½ cup parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp dried mint
1 tsp salt to taste
½ tsp black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2-3 tomatoes, sliced (for covering tops)
Hot water


Wash the rice and drain. Chop the onions finely and mix all the ingredients but not the hot water or zucchinis. Then, wash the zucchinis and make scratches or parallel marks with fork or you may peel them in stripes. Cut the stems. If the zucchinis are long enough cut them in half lengthwise. Then, scrape inside of each piece of zucchini using a small spoon, making them hollow. You may sprinkle with salt inside.
stuff each hollow zucchini with the rice stuffing, leaving about ¼ inch part on top. Cover each stuffed zucchini either with a slice of tomato or stems of the zucchinis. Place them in a pot leaving no room in between. Add hot water about 1 inch to cover the zucchinis and cook over medium-low heat about 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked. transfer them to a serving plate and serve with either plain or garlic yogurt. You may garnish with dill.
ENJOY

Raw Kofte

Çiğ Köfte ( pronounced Chee Kerf-teh) meaning raw kofte
3-4 big onions
¼ cup lemon juice
450-500gr lean ground beef ( must be fresh !!!)
2 tomatoes
5-6 cloves garlic
¼ cup canola oil
1kg fine bulgur (cracked wheat)
2-3 Tbsp salt
5-6 Tbsp isot (Turkish crushed hot pepper, Aleppo pepper is the same thing )
1-2 Tbsp cumin
750 gr red hot pepper paste/ tomato and pepper paste mix


Process the onions in food processor. Then, mix it along with bulgur in a large mixing bowl. Rub the mixture in between your palms, to give bulgur a full onion flavor (about 10 minutes). Add pepper paste/ pepper and tomato mix paste, salt, isot and cumin. Keep rubbing all the ingredients in between your palms pressing hard. Then, add the ground beef and push and squeeze the mixture on the bottom of the bowl strongly( akin to kneading bread ). Dip your hands in cold/ ice water occasionally to ease the process. Keep kneading for about 30 minutes and make sure the bulgur softens enough.
Meanwhile, crush tomato and garlic in the food processor, and then add into the bulgur mixture. Add lemon juice and canola oil as well. Knead for a couple of minutes and grab walnut size pieces or bigger if desired. Place them right inside your palm and squeeze gently to give the right shape as seen in the picture.> Attachment 263001
Serve with lemon wedges squeeze wrap in cold Cos lettuce leaves.
This recipe yields to 120-130 pieces of cig kofte.
Serving size: 6-8 pieces
ENJOY

Kaymak ( Turkish Clotted Burnt Cream)

**** note *** Lor is Turkish ricotta , you cant buy Lor in supermarkets it is always made at home 
so ricotta is a perfect substitute 


1 pkg 475 gr Ricotta Cheese, unsalted
1/3 cup flour, all purpose


Syrup:
1 3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice


Mix the cheese with flour in a bowl using tablespoon. Make chestnut sized balls with your hands. Put parchment paper on an oven tray and arrange them on it.


Preheat the oven to 325 F (165 C) and bake for about 50-55 minutes until the colour of the top turns golden.


To prepare the syrup place the water and sugar in a medium sized pot. First bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Then simmer for 15 minutes and turn the heat off. Add the lemon juice, stir.


Immediately pour the warm syrup all over them. Let cool down first. Serve Ricotta Dessert with Thick Turkish Cream (Kaymak) on the top. If you like you may also use fresh&thick Double Cream 40% instead of #Kaymak










# Kaymak 


500 ml (2 cups) homogenized milk
500 ml (2 cups) whipping cream 35%


8x8x2 (2L) Pyrex dish


Bring the milk and cream to boil at least for about 10 minutes, stir occasionally in a large pot. Pour it into the Pyrex dish.


Meanwhile pour water in a large shallow cooking pan and bring to boil. Then turn the heat down to simmer. Put the Pyrex dish on the rim of the pan . The Pyrex dish's bottom shouldn't touch the surface of the water. Simmer like this for exactly 8 hours, then turn the heat off.


Let the Pyrex cool down on the counter. Keep it in the fridge for 24 hours. Kaymak forms on top in the Pyrex dish, with some remaining milk present at the bottom. So lift one corner of the Kaymak, and pour out the milk* into a bowl. Now Kaymak is left in the Pyrex. Cut it in 3 or 4 pieces, then roll them up.


Put one piece of Kaymak on a service plate, pour some honey, sprinkle some crumbled pistacchio and a few pieces shredded almond on top and enjoy 


You can also serve Kaymak any kind of Turkish Dessert made with pastry like Turkish Baklava, Revani or Apricot Dessert.


Give Turkish Kaymak a try, it's very delicious  You can mix Kaymak with honey or jam using a fork and spread it over a fresh Turkish Bread slice, sprinkle some pistacchios or almonds on top and have it for breakfast, you'll enjoy it 


If you want thicker Kaymak, use 4 cups (1L) of whipping cream , and use a 3L Pyrex dish.


* Don't throw out the milk. You can use it to cook any kind of milk-based Turkish Dessert. For example, Turkish Rice Pudding.
and use full cream , not lite cream or it will not work , and if you can get your hands on buffalo cream its even nicer 
though buffalo milk is hard to get in Australia

Sultans Rice

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Sultan pilavi ( Sultans Rice)


1 medium eggplant, peeled, cut in bite sizes
1 large tomato, peeled, discard the seeds, cut in cubes
1/4 cup blanched almonds, slivered


Plain pilav:
1 cup rice
2 cups hot water
2 tbsp butter
Salt
Pepper


Mini meatballs:
150 gr ground beef
1 egg
1 tbsp breadcrumbs
Salt
Pepper


For Frying:
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup sunflower oil


Garnish:
Some dry oregano


First cook the rice, cover the lid and put aside.


Soak the eggplants in water with salt for 10 minutes to prevent bitterness and darkening of their colour. Squeeze the eggplants with your hands and dry them with a paper towel. Dip them in flour and fry in the sunflower oil until they are evenly coloured, but not burned. Leave them on a paper towel to soak the extra oil. Put aside.


Put the almonds in a pot and toast them for a few minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Put aside.


Knead the meatball ingredients: ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Make them into balls the size of walnuts.

Roll them in flour and fry them in the sunflower oil. Take them out with a perforated spoon and place on a paper towel. Sprinkle some oregano on top and put aside.


Add the tomato sauce with almonds and fried eggplants into the pilaf. Mix well and place on a service plate with a hole in the centre. Put the fried meatballs in there and serve while still warm.

Manti .

Mantı ( Turkish Dumplings)


this recipe is an ancient Turkish one , its roots are from china where Turks originated and is still made today 
by native Chinese Turks


Makes
20


Ingredients
1 small brown onion, grated
200g lean lamb mince
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon sweet mild paprika
1 teaspoon sumac
20 wonton wrappers
small fresh mint leaves and sweet mild paprika, to serve
Yoghurt sauce
1/4 cup plain Greek-style yoghurt
2 garlic cloves, crushed


Method
Place onion, mince, mint, paprika, sumac and salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix to combine.
Place half the wonton wrappers on work surface. Make dumplings: Spoon 1 heaped teaspoon mince mixture into the centre of each wrapper. Brush edges with cold water. Bring 2 opposite corners together. Press to seal. Repeat to enclose filling. Repeat with remaining wrappers and mince mixture.
Place a large steamer lined with baking paper over a wok or large saucepan of simmering water. Cook dumplings, in batches, for 4 to 5 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Cover to keep warm.
Make yoghurt sauce: Place yoghurt, garlic and 1 1/2 tablespoons cold water in a bowl. Stir to combine. Drizzle over dumplings. Top with mint leaves and paprika. Serve.