Etli Şehriyeli Çorbası- " Beef and Orzo Soup"

 This soup is a great, quick soup that can be made at last minute, as a snack, or ahead of time. Remember that the orzo is a type of pasta, and it will soak up the liquid, both while cooking and after sitting. So if you do make this ahead of time, you may have to add more liquid before serving.


In this recipe, the meat can be thought of as an accent to the flavor of the overall soup. It can be vegetarian, which would just be Şehriyeli Çorbası, or Orzo Soup. I also tend to use a lot less meat than most recipes call for, so keep this in mind, and adjust accordingly.

scant 1/4 c. ground beef
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp. tomato paste
2 c. beef broth (or veggie stock/water)
1 c. water
1/3 c. orzo


Brown the ground beef in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the tomato paste and stir to mix. Pour in the broth and water, then toss in the orzo. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

If you prefer a thicker soup, whisk a 1/2 tbsp. of flour into a small amount of broth in a separate dish, and then add back to the main pot. Repeat as needed to thicken until desired thickness is reached.  

Türk Kahvesi- "Turkish Coffee"

I have only just recently (after years of trying) made a cup of Turkish coffee that my husband actually approves of. I know this because he even "lets" me make it for guests :)

Traditionally,  a cezve is used. This is a small, usually copper, pot with a long handle that is used for making this espresso-like drink. Turkish coffee, as opposed to the "American" prototype, is served in a small cup, just like espresso, and has a sludge-like sediment that settles on the bottom of the cup. It is also made from a type of coffee that is specifically made for Turkish coffee (not your usual medium-ground coffee). If you don't have a cezve, you can use a small saucepan. If you do not have the small cups, you can use a regular cup and adjust the coffee/water/sugar ratio, or just leave space in your regular-sized cup.

The sugar can be adjusted to personal taste. Traditionally, there are 4 ways of drinking Turkish coffee:
Sade: "Plain"- no sugar
Az: "a little"- about 1/2 tsp
Orta: "medium"- about 1 tsp
Şekerli: "With sugar/sugary"- a well rounded tsp.

*The following recipe is for "orta", or medium-sugar Turkish Coffee. *


Makes 1 Turkish coffee-sized cup:

1 rounded tablespoon of (fine-ground) Turkish coffee
1 tsp. sugar
1 measured cup (the cup you plan to drink the coffee out of) of cold water




Combine all the ingredients in the cezve or saucepan.

Stir together, until well mixed. The coffee will not completely dissolve into the water, nor will the sugar.

Place over medium-high heat and bring ALMOST to a boil- there should be a light brown foam on the top. This will take a few minutes. Right before the mix bubbles, pour a small amount into your cup and return the pot back to the stove.

Again, bring until just boiling (if you do boil it, you will have "ruined" it, leaving it flat and foam-less. The taste will also suffer) and pour the remainder into the cup.

Serve with some water. You will want it to wash your mouth. Also, take care not to drink the "sludge." This is sometimes used to do a sort of fortune telling. If you are a skeptic, like myself, it may sound silly. I can attest that a recent experience with the reading of the grounds left me a bit more open-minded!

                                                               
  At a recent, family get-together with my husband's relatives, we were served Turkish coffee after a holiday breakfast. Aziz's relative, a certain Belgin Duyar, offered to read our fortunes, much to my non-believing amusement. She swiftly took my empty cup and flipped it upside-down on it's saucer and waited until the remaining liquid seeped out.

She removed the cup and peered into the trail-like images on the inner walls of the cup and began depicting what she "saw" in my future.

She told me that she saw a likeness of someone standing, which she interpreted as a sort of cocktail party. I, being a mother of two small boys with no regular babysitter, scoffed at this remark. When had I ever been to a cocktail party and when would I be able to go (if I were so invited)? Politely nodding in agreement, I stepped aside and let her muse into my husband's similarly empty cup. We returned home that afternoon and went on with our lives. That following week, we received news from a friend about his wedding which would be taking place on a New York harbor cruise, complete with a cocktail party.

It was enough to give me goosebumps! Coincidence, perhaps, but entertaining nonetheless.

Dereotlu Peynirli Yumurta- "Dill and Feta Cheese Scrambled Eggs"

Again, the picture does little in the way of showcasing a great-tasting breakfast!

What sounds like an odd combination of ingredients adds up to a surprisingly satisfying breakfast alternative. My husband, Aziz, had been making this for me at the restaurant until I demanded that he teach me how to make it at home.

4 eggs, scrambled
1 tbsp. chopped, fresh dill (adjust to suit personal preferences)
2 tbsp. soft feta cheese (not the usual hard feta that you use to top salads-this should be a creamier consistency that will "melt" when heated)
1 tbsp. butter

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.

Add the feta cheese and "melt" it down until bubbly.

Add the dill, stir, then pour in the eggs and stir while cooking until they reach desired consistency.

Keep in mind that adding cheese to eggs will make them look runny or uncooked, no matter how long you keep heating. I like my eggs well-done, or dry, but my husband prefers what I call "wet and raw." We meet in the middle on this dish. Serve with bread for dipping!!

Etli Taze Fasulye- "Green Beans with meat"

As literal as this translation is, I have to admit that it doesn't sound appetizing in English. Honestly, I'd call it either a casserole or a saute, but those names conjure up images of green beans in a pyrex dish with mushroom soup and french fried onions. Don't get me wrong, that sounds good, too, but these descriptions don't do this traditional favorite any justice. This is a delicious combination of fresh green beans, potatoes, tomatoes and an olive-oil/butter based broth that can be meatless if you so choose.

  This is one meal that no matter who makes it, (Sorry Hatice and Fatma [sisters-in-law]) does not compare to the one my Kaynana (mother-in-law) makes. We have asked for a formal recipe but since many meals are made from memory, we used our rough idea and played with it until we got the same flavor. The difference between mine and Kaynana's is that her green beans get so soft that they split and are almost disintegrated into the sauce. This may be achieved by cooking longer at a lower temperature, but I have yet to find the right combination. I will update this when I can try it in the crockpot!

 *If you are familiar with this recipe, you know that everyone has their own personal favorite version. Some varieties are vegetarian, some don't use potatoes, some add carrots. Add and subtract ingredients until you find something that works for you. It's a pretty forgiving recipe that's hard to truly mess up!

**To clarify, using the term "Zeytinyağlı" with a recipe suggests that the food is not only prepared with olive oil but also served cold (not required to be heated). When meat is added, and therefore requiring heat, the title refers to the ingredients (Etli Taze Fasulye-Green beans with meat). The recipe here implies that the green beans (made with or without meat) are cooked and use olive oil. Thank you to my former neighbor, Nejla Kar, for help with differentiating!**





Ingredients

1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 small potatoes, peeled and chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2 medium plum tomatoes, chopped (1 1/2 c.)
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. (4 oz) Ground beef or lamb
salt and pepper
4 c. (1 lb) fresh green beans, ends trimmed and cut in half
4 c. water or chicken stock
2 tbsp. tomato paste

Melt 2 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large pan. Add the garlic and onions and cook over medium heat until softened. Add the ground beef and pepper and salt (to taste). Brown about 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, 4 c. of chicken stock (or water) and the tomato paste.

Stir and cover, leaving it to cook over med-high heat for about 45 minutes, or until the green beans and potatoes are soft. Add liquid if necessary.

                                                                      Serve over rice.

Hünkar Beğendi- "Sultan's Delight" (Lamb Stew on Creamy Eggplant Puree)



I can assure you that it tastes much better than it looks!!

 This is a recipe that we feature in our restaurant, and besides being popular, it is a delicious dish that is well suited to the cold, winter weather we've been having. Think of it among the likes of our "comfort food," with a velvety texture and a rich substance. It will stick to your ribs!! The eggplant is first roasted and pureed then combined with cream (light, heavy or milk if you so desire) and shredded mozzarella cheese to give it multiple layers of flavor. Roasting the eggplant is much easier if done on a charcoal or gas grill (preferably outdoors) but can be done right on the stove top- as I tried. Although it makes a bubbly mess all over the place, the smell (and taste) are well worth the later scrubbing.

Nothing a little elbow grease can't fix

Though this was my first time making this and I had no clue if I was doing it right, it sure smelled like I knew exactly what I was doing!

*Recipe is loosely based on Ayla Algar's "Morsels of lamb Served on a Bed of Smoked Eggplant Cream" from the Classical Turkish Cooking cookbook. It has been tweaked, as follows...

 Lamb Stew (or beef)

1 1/2 lbs. lamb shoulder (I used Beef Round Top London Broil)
3 tbsp. butter
1 c. chopped onions
1 1/2 c. chopped tomatoes
5 sprigs of parsley
5 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup beef broth (or water)
1 tsp. tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste

Eggplant Puree

2 large eggplants (about 3 lbs. total)
3 tbsp. lemon juice
5 tbsp. butter
6 tbsp. flour
2 c. cream or milk, heated
salt
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Stew:

   Cube meat into 3/4 inch pieces, and saute in a medium size pot with 3 tbsp. melted butter.

 Stir and cook, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until the meat is browned on all sides and the butter/liquid is soaked up.
   
Add onions and cook until lightly browned, then add the tomatoes, paste, herbs and spices. Cook about 1 minute, add the salt and pepper and the stock. Cover and simmer on low for about 45 minutes, stirring once in a while.

                                            
Remove the thyme, parsley and bay leaf. Sauce should be somewhat thick, but if it is too watery, turn the heat on high for a short time (while stirring) to thicken it up in a flash.

Eggplant:

Poke the eggplants with a toothpick to allow the heat to penetrate. Roast(or grill) the eggplants on high heat- be careful while turning- and cook all sides until collapsed.

Set aside in a dish and let them cool until you can handle them.

Remove the skins and as much of the seeds as possible, and place the remaining pulp in a bowl of water with the lemon juice added. (As simple as this task sounds, it took a lot longer than I imagined to efficiently peel (rather, "pick") the skins off).

Soak the pieces in the lemon/water for at least 20 minutes. Squeeze the water out and drain as much as possible, then shred the pieces into chunks.

Melt the remaining 5 tbsp. butter in a saucepan and add the flour to make a roux. Stir while cooking until the mixture turns a golden color (about 2 minutes). Add the eggplant pieces and stir continuously to make a smooth paste. Stir in the cream/milk and cook a few more minutes. Blend with a an immersion/stick blender or in a food processor (be sure that the mixture has cooled before using a blender or covered mixer or it could burn you when it splatters!!!) until smooth like mashed potatoes. Season with salt and garlic, then add the mozzarella cheese and stir until creamy.

Doesn't look like much, but it just replaced my baked Macaroni and Cheese winter standby!

Spoon the eggplant puree into dishes and top with a spoonful of the lamb stew.

Algar, Ayla. "Hünkar Beğendi". Classical Turkish Cooking: Traditional Turkish Food for the American Kitchen. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 96. Print.

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Paşa Köftesi- "Pasha's Kofta (Meatballs)"

Now that I have gotten into the habit of cooking more Turkish recipes, I decided to try one I found in a book I've had since 2003. The reason I've never tried this recipe before is, although it sounds like a lame excuse, there was no picture, and I didn't read enough of the description to become intrigued. Also, I found this recipe when I was hungry, which is how I came to the conclusion that reading a cookbook while starving is tantamount to grocery shopping on an empty stomach.
    I must say that this recipe took a substantial amount of time for me. I am curious as to whether this is because I did not chop and divide all the ingredients out before or because the 2 little creatures demanding various things took away from active cooking time. I would have to say that this recipe would only be reserved for holidays or dinner guests if it wasn't so well received-and tasty!- by my family (solely because of the time it took). This being said, a native Turk may be able to whip this up on any given weeknight after coming home from work without a second thought. It is a definite "try again" in my book. I will note where I suggest some changes to make it healthier and/or cheaper, more convenient, etc.

As for our review, Kenan says "This has all my favorite things all in one! I love it!" We give it 9 out of 10 (will be 10/10 when I figure out how to pull it together more in better proportions. The "10/10 recipe" is what I give you below)

 The following recipe is adapted from The Sultan's Kitchen: A Turkish Cookbook by Özcan Ozan. Citation can be found at the bottom of the post.

Meatballs
1 cup of panko bread crumbs (you can be authentic and use 4 slices of day-old white bread-remove the crust!)
1 1/2 lbs. gound lamb (I used beef-try to keep the fat content as low as possible for the best outcome, and for health!)
1/2 small onion, chopped (should make 1/4 cup)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsely, finely chopped
2 eggs
1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes (use Turkish if available- deeper red color that crushed red pepper flakes, and a more substantial flavor)
1 tsp. paprika
1 tbsp. ground cumin (adjust if you don't care for the flavor- you can get away with 1/2 tbsp.)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

1/3 c. milk
2 tbsp heavy cream (can substitue based on personal preferences- the potatoes will still have a lovely flavor)
1 lb. potatoes, peeled and chunked (should make about 1 1/2 cups after cut up)
2 tbsp. butter
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste (use fround white pepper if you can find it)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella chesse (use grated kaşar peynir if available)
3 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 cup beef stock or water (can also use lamb stock)
1 tbsp. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley


Meatballs:

Rinse the breadcrumbs with a small amount of water to soak, then drain and squeeze out all moisture.

 Put them in a medium mixing bowl with the ground meat, onion, garlic, eggs, parsley, red pepper, paprika, cumin, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Knead the mixture with your hands to evenly mix all the ingredients. Put the covered bowl in the refrigerator to chill, at least 30 minutes (or longer if you're preparing ahead).

Potatoes:

Mix the milk and cream in a small saucepan and heat on low until slightly warmed through. 

Retain the low temperature as you prepare the potatoes. Place the cut-up chunks of potato in a pot of lightly salted water and bring to a boil over high heat.

Cook the potatoes over medium heat for 15 minutes, drain and return to pot. 
Meanwhile, take your 2 tbsp. of butter and garlic cloves and heat in a small saucepan until the buter is melted.
 Pour the milk/cream and garlic/butter into your pot of potatoes and mash all together- or use an electric mixer (I used the immersion/stick blender to get a truly smooth, almost whipped, potato, although they were almost gluey while mixing). 

Meatball formation:

Remove chilled meat mixture from the refrigerator and take small a handful (about 1/4 cup each- just eyeball it) and form a ball. Depress the center, or pinch (almost like making the "pinch pots" ) and place into a large baking dish. ***(The original recipe calls for 2 lbs. of meat to be divided into only FOUR meatballs, which I immediately vetoed and made "mini" cups out of. I got about 2 dozen out of 1 1/2 lbs. of meat. )*** 

In each meatbull cup, spoon the mashed potato mixture evenly, about 1 tsp., depending on the size of your cups.

 Sprinkle the tops of the potatoes with your shredded mozzarella.

Sauce:

In yet another saucepan, (I hated all the dirty dishes after this recipe, in case you were wondering) melt the remaining 3 tbsp. of butter and then add the tomato paste (keep this heated at about medium to avoid burning).

Add your chopped tomatoes and stock/water and bring to a boil. 

 

Retain this temperature for about 3 minutes and then take care to pour AROUND your meatballs (not as a sauce on top). I had trouble surrounding them since they were already tightly wedged in around each other. I will try to put this sauce first next time and place the cups on top.

Bake in the oven, uncovered, at 350 F for about 35 minutes. The potatoes/cheese should be lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and araange about 1-2 per person on a plate, with the sauce drizzled around them. Garnish with your chopped parsley.

Served with rice and steamed green beans

I thought it would be a good idea to blend the "sauce" into a smooth, soup-like consistency- This is probably due to my tendency to look for ways to use my stick blender constantly. The taste was a bit salty, and had an almost greasy, meat flavor.  But, if you are so inclined, you can make extra of the sauce (before cooking it with the meat) and blend that and it makes a very robust tomato soup!!

I also did not serve any starch with this since it had the potatoes in it, but I did add some steamed green beans. Being true Turks, my boys asked where the rice was :)


Ozan, Özcan. "Paşa Köftesi". The Sultan's Kitchen: A Turkish Cookbook. Singapore: Periplus, 2001. 76. Print.
 ISBN: 962-593-944-X

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