Ok, book club again -- need Turkish Food ideas!

M

mariadnoca

Moderator
(It's Birds without Wings by Louis de Bernieres)

So it's set in Turkey so Turkish food is the plan. Any T&T Turkish food????

(Sorry I haven't been around I'm just swampped at work.)

Thanks in advance!!!

 
How about Baklava, Borek (spinach pie) , or Hummus

Mmmm....Turkish food is delicious.. Gyros are fabulous...but i'm not sure how one would cook the meat at home, maybe Kebabs?
There is this wonderful mom and pop Turkish restaurant close by and the husband and wife that own it are so friendly and nice. The food is cheap and it comes in huge portions and is wonderful!

here's my favorite Hummus recipe. i sometimes blend in cilantro, or sun-dried tomatoes for different varations. I want to try a roasted red-pepper version too.

Hummus

2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained (1 can)
a little less than 1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, add more garlic if you want more of a bite
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pinch paprika
2 tablespoons water


Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt, garlic and olive oil in a blender. Add water and Blend until smooth. You may need to stop it and stir with a spatula a few times. Add in paprika and any other additions and mix again.

 
The rice and feta stuffed baby eggplant at #1547 and the Tabouleh at #1545 come to mind.

 
I have a REC for Tas Kebabi (Lamb Ragout) if you want something that heavy

Also a few other true Turkish RECs- one called "Fainting Imam" which is a veggie-stuffed baked eggplant dish- also kind of heavy.

I am no expert at Turkish cooking but I believe long-grain rice (and no sticky rice) is what is preferred- lots of veggies, stewed, baked, cooked any number of ways. Shish Kebab is pure Turkish- I don't see too many filo dough desserts in the source I have but there is a good-looking sponge cake called Revani with almonds and it is infused with a warm syrup.

If any of these are helpful I will type them out- let me know.

 
I think someone else is bringing dessert, salad, and a side dish...

One of the other folks suggested trying this off a turkish site, but wanted too see what the FFFolks had made too smileys/smile.gif

COLD SHREDDED CHICKEN IN WALNUT SAUCE
(Cerkez Tavugu)


Ingredients
Pound Chicken 3- to 3 ½ (cut into 6 pieces)
Water 3 cups
Salt 1 1/2 teaspoons
Walnuts 1 1/2 cups
Onions 1/2 cup(finely chopped)
White homemad
- type bread 3 slices
Paprika 1 teaspoon
Black pepper freshly ground
Parsley 1 tablespoon(finely chopped)


Combine chicken, water and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in a 4- to 5-quart saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender but not falling apart. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and boil the stock rapidly, uncovered, over high heat until reduced to 1 1/2 cups.

Combine walnuts, onions and stock in the jar of an electric blender and blend at high speed for 15 seconds. Add bread, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and a few grindings of pepper, and blend at high speed until the mixture becomes a smooth puree.
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin with a small knife and cut or pull the meat away from the bones. Discard the bones, and cut the chicken meat into strips about 1/8 inch wide and 1 to 1 1/2 inches long. Place the chicken in a bowl and add 1 1/2 cups of the walnut sauce, tossing the chicken about with a spoon to coat the pieces well. Mound the chicken on a platter, mask the top with the remaining sauce, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of paprika. Garnish with parsley if desired.

 
Oh YES! I have 2 phenomenal recipes for chicken dishes. Can you wait a couple of days?

One is multi layers of phyllo with bits of chicken and a cinnamon flavour. I just love this.

The other is very rich oniony chicken with a phyllo topping.

I love both of them.

 
Muhammara (an appetizer) TURKEY

Muhammara (an appetizer) TURKEY

Serves 8.

* 2 large red bell peppers
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1 small onion, finely chopped

* 2 tablespoons hot pepper paste*
* 3/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted
* 3/4 cup walnuts, ground
* 3 tablespoons lemon juice
* 2 teaspoons pomegranate syrup or
pomegranate molasses
* 1-2 teaspoons cumin seeds, coarsely ground
* Salt to taste
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* Turkish flat bread, or pide

Roast peppers over a flame until the skin is blackened. Put in a tightly closed paper bag for 10 minutes. Then remove the skin and seeds, and mash the peppers in a food processor. Set aside. Mix together the garlic, onion, hot pepper paste, bread crumbs and walnuts. When well mixed, add the lemon juice and pomegranate syrup. Add the yogurt and cumin, and salt to taste. Slowly add the olive oil and blend well. For a richer flavor, make a day ahead. Keeps well for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature on pieces of Turkish flat bread, pide, or plain crackers.

*Can substitute with a jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped, or 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.

Copyright: Photos & Recipes are from

Eat Smart in Turkey:
How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods
& Embark on a Tasting Adventure
by permission of the publisher
Ginkgo Press, Inc
Text courtesy authors: Joan & David Peterson.

 
Here are a couple appetizers, Seems similar to Greek of all things!

The 3 filling recipes are used as stuffing in the following pastry:

Burma Borek (baked pastry rolls)

Makes 30.
Oven 375
20 minues

10 sheets yufka (fillo) pastry
1/2 c melted butter
1 quantity meat or cheese or spinach filling (recipes below)

Open out pastry sheets, cut into quarters, stack and cover with cloth.

Brush ea. with melted butter, spread with some filling, keeping filling clear of sides. Fold in sides and roll up. Place seam side down in a buttered baking dish.

Brush rolls lightly with butter and bake in oven for 20 minutes until golden.

Filling 1
Kiyma-Ground meat filling

1 lg onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter
1 # finely ground lamb or beef
1/2 c finely choppede parsley
salt, pepper to taste

In a frying pan gently fry onion in butter until transparent. Increase heat, add meat and stir frequently until the meat is crumbly. Fry until juices evaporate and meat begins to brown. Remove pan from heat, add parsley, salt and pepper.

Filling 2
Beyaz Peynir-White Cheese Filling

8 oz beyaz peynir (feta cheese)
1 egg
1/2 c finely chopped parsley
freshly ground black pepper

Crumble cheese in a bowl with fingers or a fork. Beat egg lightly and blend into cheese with parsley and black pepper.

Filling 3
Ispanak - Spinach Filling

1-1/2# fresh spinach or 8 oz pkg frozen chopped spinach
1 med size onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c crumbled beyaz penir (feta cheese)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c finely chopped parsley
salt
freshly ground black pper

Clean fresh spinach well, cutting away coarse stems. Wash well in several changes of water and shake leaves to remove excess moisture. Chop coarsely. (If using frozen spinach, defrost according to package directions).

Place spinach in a sufficient size pan, cover heat 7-9 minutes. Cook only til wilted.

Place spinach ina sieve and press with back of a spoon to extract moisture. Transfer to a bowl.

Gently fry onion in olive oil until transparent and add onion and oil to spinach with cheese, egg and parsley. Combine ingredients thoroughly, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

 
They are labour-intensive anyway, to make I mean. I'll sort them out for you next week. This is

the last stage of tax returns and then I'm free.

 
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