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.
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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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
As I was browsing my computer for pictures to accompany my recipes, I found a paper I had written for my freshman literature class at City College. For those of you who know Mustafa Deveci, one can describe him as quite a character. Depending on the time period from which you knew him, you may either laugh at or be truly surprised by the story you will read below. Now that he is back in Turkey, it is rumored that Mustafa has had a spiritual awakening. To his credit, he no longer drinks, smokes or swears. I can attest to this because I saw him in 2008, driving a Range Rover through a village, wearing a long white robe and the cap reserved for hagis (those who have made the pilgrimage to Mecca, the Hajj). To say that I was shocked would not even touch the tip of the iceberg. He held the tespih (rosary-like beads for prayer) in his hand like a pro, and had the demeanor of a lamb.With this in mind, please take the following essay as entertainment and not an attempt to discredit his progress.
*Despite the disclaimer, this story is very true. We still belly laugh to this day when we remember it.*
College Essay: Change
A congratulations hug from the man himself
He had already started to get on my nerves, although it had only been 30 minutes since I had met him. My fiance had calmly told me that as soon as the wedding was over the following week, Mustafa would go home. Under that impression, I loosened up, picturing that stout, bulbous-headed Turkish man with his sweat-glistening face taking off in his car in a week from that day. Little did I know that my whole life was about to change from that one moment. Change sucks.
York Harbor, ME
Maine had been a typically quiet place that was always peaceful. That scenario had changed the minute Mustafa had arrived. For a minute, and only that, I had begun to get used to having Mustafa around the house. As a distant cousin of my husband, he made a great live-in chef to my family. He had traveled up from a small town in New Jersey, where he resided and owned a small pizza place that was known to all.
What used to be Mustafa's Pizza place
Everything was great, as long as we tuned out Mustafa’s cacophonous babble, which seemed to diminish the flavor of each succulent meal. One week had passed since the wedding and Mustafa was still with us in Maine. It wasn’t until one entire month after I was married that he returned to New Jersey, much appreciated by me. In the peacefulness, I had lost track of what my plans were for the fall. Then it hit me, we were taking off for New York City, where I would significantly change my surroundings and grin and bear the challenges of college. Never did I think about the housing situation. I had been so busy working double shifts each day during the summer that I had not had a good amount of time to apartment hunt. When I did, it was by way of the internet and some very strange phone calls to people I would not even want to rent from. Time passed and August came. My husband suggested that we take a trip to find an apartment; it was all in vain. There was nothing to be found in the “Big Apple.” To my dismay, as well as my husband’s, we had come to our last resort: staying with Mustafa. I had resisted as much as possible and finally agreed, when I lugged my duffel bag into the dingy, studio apartment that reeked of salami sandwiches and old man cologne. At that moment, my eyes began to tear up as I contemplated my dismal future in this location. Although my husband had promised me that it would be temporary, all I could picture was years and years of sleeping in Mustafa’s bed while he slumbered restlessly upon the floor by my feet. Needless to say, it took some getting used to. Every morning, I would fling my feet over the edge of the bed and shriek when they came in contact with his gigantic stomach, while he snored away as if nothing had happened. That in itself was a task to overcome, but I had no idea what was in store.
On our wedding day
Presently, I can announce that my husband did not live up to his promise and I still, unfortunately, claim Mustafa as my housemate. Despite the many times we almost got kicked out, along with him, we are living together as one dysfunctional, Turkish family. Now I have been on my best behavior, as we have finally secured our own apartment and have been told, by Mustafa himself, that I owe him big time. All he said was, “Clear your bed in your house because I may get evicted soon. It’s your turn.” With that, I cringed so deeply that I know he must have seen it. Despite the trauma suffered, I am still alive. Every night when I lay in bed studying, he trudges to the refrigerator and grabs his Budweiser and a cigar, and plops in front of the computer to watch an endless marathon of Turkish television programs. If you do not already know from firsthand experience, I can assure you that one can not study, sleep, or even efficiently bury their own head in a pillow when the International channel is blaring and a discontented old man is drunkenly arguing with the characters. Take my advice; do not try it for yourselves.
In all his glory
Just the other night, as usual, I was lying in bed studying for the next day’s classes. Mustafa had just lumbered in, smelling of sandwiches as usual, with a bag of bagels to share as a primitive meal. As Mustafa wandered to the computer, I just kept my nose in my psych book, to avoid confrontation. My husband had put the bagels on a tray and placed them in the oven, which was not often used by the Emeril-in-training. As destiny would have it, something was not right. The scene was too peaceful and NORMAL. Just as I was settling in to sleep, at the 11 o’clock hour, a horrific beeping came from the smoke alarm. Mustafa, bewildered, shot up from the computer chair and spouted off in his native tongue, all the while translating as if I had actually mattered today.
“Allah Kahretsin! Nedir bu? Goddamnit! What is that!?”
“The smoke alarm,” I sarcastically retorted, as I watched my husband dislodge the burning bagels from the oven. Mustafa flung the window open and turned on the air conditioner while I shivered beneath the thin blankets.
“S***** git! Kapa cheneni, kiz!” He continued on with his Turkish expletives, cursing the smoke alarm, which bleeped and announced ‘fire fire’ in a surprisingly calm and computerized female voice.
“Shut up, bitch! Yangin mangin yok! There is no fire!” His remarks were aimed at the smoke alarm, which defiantly remained on the top of the 15 foot high ceiling, beeping all the while. He had begun to get crafty, and dragged a rickety chair beneath the smoke alarm, which was directly above me.
“Hadi kiz! Move!” he shouted at me, as he beckoned to my husband. “Give me that goddamn semsiye!”
My husband quickly brought him the umbrella, as he teetered upon the chair, that failed Turkish acrobat. He thrusted the umbrella at the button in the middle of the smoke alarm, which he could not reach, due to his dwarf-like stature. Amidst the escapade of the fire-less emergency, chilled air rushed through the window and out of the air conditioner.
“Turn off that air conditioning! It is not summer! Allah Allah!” Mustafa glanced at the windows as if he had no idea who had caused the chilliness. I made no effort to move, but kept my head in my book so that the living “weeble” could not see the anguish from hiding my laughter. My husband stood at the side of the bed, offering advice and then taking the helm and mounting the chair. With one swift movement, the battered umbrella protruded the smoke alarm and ceased the din. He jumped down, relieved, and replaced the umbrella to its usual spot.
As things started to roll on from the joyously entertaining event, the bagels were tossed out and Mustafa re-joined his Turkish sitcom, in what seemed like a move to make my life a living hell. From that point on, until 4 A.M, peace was no longer a possibility in the small studio, with Yilmaz Guney playing hero to an annoying, weepy young actress.
Needless to say, life went on without a huge disruption, as it does in all cases. This was the thing that I had managed to realize, during all the hoopla of the alarm, no matter how hard it was for me to adapt to new situations. Although not every change is going to come in the form of a Turkish pizza man holed up in New Jersey, I will be more ready to face it. Without the interjections of umbrellas.
Although I technically know how to make rice, I could rarely make some that wasn't raw or burnt, too crunchy or too wet. One summer in Turkey, I was recruited to help with dinner. I was chosen to make the rice pilaf ( albeit, a very simple one without şehriye (orzo) )I immediately swapped with my husband's young niece, Zeynep. I used the excuse that I didn't know how they liked it, and instead made a salad. Later on, as we ate the wonderful meal, I whispered to Zeynep that I could never get my rice to turn out like that. She admitted that her difficulty came from pasta. I came to find out that no matter how often she tried, she could not make makarna (macaroni) without it turning out like my failed rice.
Zeynep (with Kerem)
Despite knowing the 2-to-1 liquid-to-rice ratio, it always gave me trouble. Finally, I have figured out how to make a pilav that my husband will eat without grimacing.
*Adjust to make enough to feed your family*
2 cups of white long-grain rice 4 cups of chicken stock or water (even with just water, this rice can stand alone) 1 tbsp. vegetable oil 1 tsp. salt Orzo- I use about 1/4 cup, but use enough to cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer.
Pour the oil into a medium size pot or deep skillet (that has a lid). Heat it to medium-high and sprinkle a single layer of Orzo (enough to cover the bottom of the pan).
Stir occasionally to insure that the orzo browns evenly without browning. Add the uncooked rice and stir to coat.
Add the salt, then pour in your stock or water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook about 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
1 tbsp. olive oil
