[PDF] TURKISH GASTRONOMY

1211_411201727_TURKISH_GASTRONOMY_AND_RECIPES.pdf

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INCLUSION

TURKISH

GASTRONOMY

TURKISH GASTRONOMY

For those who travel to engage in culinary pursuits and for the ordinary tourist, Turkish cuisine is worthy of exploration. The variety of dishes that make up the cuisine, the ways they all come together in feast-like meals and the evident intricacy of each craft offer enough material for life-long study and enjoyment. Whether in a humble home or at a famous restaurant, familiar patterns of this rich and diverse cuisine are always present. It is a rare art which satisfies your senses while reconfirming the higher order of society, community and culture.

What makes Turkish Cuisine Glorious?

¶·GR QRP XQGHUHVPLPMPH POH GLVO N\ ŃMOOLQJ LP ÓXVP IRRGB The blessed thing is an entire civilization in itself!" The vast geography that the Turks have lived until now, the various climates, the soil and living conditions have enabled

Turks to develop a very rich culinary culture.

Turkish cuisine is fast making a name for itself on the worldwide culinary platform. A colourful cuisine of aromatic rose desserts to robust griddled meats. The combination of flavours and ingredients are blended together to form dishes historically influenced by a number of cultures including the Ottomans, Greeks (Rum), Armenians, Circassians, Sephardic Jews, Tatars,

Descendants from Balkans and Middle-Easterns.

Turkish Gastronomy Today

Turkish gastronomy can be viewed in two categories ; Classical Turkish Gastronomy and Regional (Folk) Gastronomy. Classical Turkish Gastronomy reflects the cuisine of the Ottoman Palace, which is the founding ground for the Turkish cuisine as we know it today. It is a combination of palace cuisine MQG úVPMQNXO cuisine, which is the cuisine of minorities that UHVLGH LQ úVPMQNXOB 6LQŃH 2PPRPMQ SHULRGV POH VHOI-ruling minorities were able to preserve their traditions and religious beliefs. Their eclectic cuisine also became a part of ústanbul cuisine.

Turkish Gastronomy Today

Regional Turkish cuisine is the combined food culture of

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food related traditions and culture of inhabitants of Anatolia, who came from different backgrounds and ethnic groups, soil structure and climate.

A Repertoire of Turkish Gastronomy

A survey of the types of dishes according to their ingredients may be helpful to explain the basic structure of Turkish gastronomy. Otherwise, there may appear to be an overwhelming variety of dishes, each with a unique combination of ingredients and its own way of preparation and presentation. All dishes can be conveniently categorized into grain-based, grilled meats, vegetables, seafood, desserts and beverages.

A Repertoire of Turkish Gastronomy

Grains : From Bread To Börek

The foundation of Turkish food is, if anything, dough made of wheat flour. Besides "ekmek" (ordinary white bread), "pide" (flat bread), "simit" (sesame seed rings), and PMQP× (similar to ravioli), a whole family of food made up of thin sheets of a pastry called "börek" falls into this category. 0MQP× ; small dumplings of dough filled with a special meat mix, are eaten with generous servings of garlic yogurt and a dash of melted butter with paprika. Börek ; the sheets of dough are layered or folded into various shapes before being filled with cheese or meat mixes and baked or fried.

A Repertoire of Turkish Gastronomy

Grilled Meat

"Kebab" is another category of food which, like the börek, is typically Turkish dating back to the time when the nomadic Turks learned to grill and roast meat over camp fires. Given the numerous types of kebabs, we see that they are categorized by the way the meat is cooked. Shish (ûLü) Kebab is grilled cubes of skewered meat. Döner Kebab is made by stacking alternating layers of ground meat and sliced leg of lamb on a large upright skewer, which is slowly rotated in front of a vertical grill. Mixed grills : lamb chops, "köfte", or üLüB .|IPH (meatballs) can be grilled, fried, oven-cooked or boiled, mixed with special spices.

A Repertoire of Turkish Gastronomy

Vegetables

Along with grains, vegetables are also consumed in large quantities in the Turkish diet. Turks have a big diversity of vegetables and of course this reflects on the dishes. If a dish is cooked without any kind of meat POHQ LP LV ŃMOOHG ]H\PLQ \MùO× ³ meaning cooked with olive oil. These kind of vegetable dishes are mostly served cold. Dolma ; the generic term for stuffed vegetables, either fresh or dried eggplants, peppers, tomatoes or zucchinis are stuffed with a mixture of rice and onion with various spices. Yaprak Sarma ; wrapped vine leaves with a filling of rice, onion and spices like mint, currant, pepper and cinnamon.

A Repertoire of Turkish Gastronomy

$ 5HMO 6PRU\ RI 6RHHPV  %H\RQG ¶%MNOMYM· The most well-known sweets associated with Turkish Cuisine are "lokum" (Turkish delight), and "baklava", giving the impression that these may be the typical desserts eaten after meals. In fact, the family of desserts is much richer than just these two. These are not typical desserts served as part of a main meal. Baklava is often eaten with coffee, as a snack or after a kebab dish. The most wonderful contribution of Turkish cuisine to the family of desserts is the milk desserts ² the "muhallebi" family. These are among the rare types of guilt-free puddings made with starch and rice flour, and originally without any eggs or butter.

A Repertoire of Turkish Gastronomy

Beverages %H\RQG ¶7XUNLVO FRIIHH· MQG ¶$\UMQ· As a beverage Turkish coffee carries special preparation and brewing techniques. It is softer, more aromatic and more concentrated than other types of coffee. Tea is the main source of caffeine for the Turks. It is prepared by brewing it over boiling water and served in delicate glasses to show the deep red colour and to transmit the heat to the hand. Sherbet ; sugar, honey, rose, various herbs and fresh fruits are all boiled and then water is added to the mixture. When it comes to alcoholic beverages, UMN× PMGH RI HLPOHU grapes or raisins, is the anise flavoured alcoholic drink of Turks.

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INCLUSION

TURKISH

RECIPES

Ali Nazik Kebab is a scrumptious Turkish specialty. It is a delicious marriage of char-grilled smoked eggplant puree mixed with yoghurt and topped with tender lamb stew.

INGREDIENTS

**FOR THE EGGPLANT AND YOGHURT PUREE

4 medium purple eggplants

16 fl. oz./2 cup thick, whole milk strained yoghurt

2 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely diced

15ml/1 tbsp. olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

**FOR THE MEAT TOPPING

450gr/1 lb. small chunks of lamb

1 medium onion, finely chopped

½ tbsp. red pepper paste or 2 tsp. chili flakes

1 tbsp. tomato paste

30ml/2 tbsp. olive oil

30 ml/ 2 tbsp. water

**FOR THE ROASTED VEGETABLES

3 medium tomatoes, quartered

1 green, yellow and red bell peppers, deseeded and

quartered

1 onion, quartered and sliced

30 ml/ 2 tbsp. olive oil

Handful of chopped flat leaf parsley to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F

First prepare the eggplants. Place the eggplants or aubergines directly over the burner on medium heat and roast for about 15 - 20 minutes, turning occasionally. Use metal tongs to turn the eggplants around so that all sides would cook evenly and the skin is nicely chargrilled. Cook until the skin is burnt and the flesh is soft. Remove the cooked eggplants to a colander to allow them to cool. Once cool, peel and discard their burnt skin and leave them in the colander to drain its bitter juices. Chop the flesh of the eggplant and mix in the chopped garlic, season with salt and ground black pepper. Combine well, cover and set aside until the lamb stew is ready. To roast the vegetables, spread the quartered and sliced onions, tomatoes and peppers in a tray and stir in 2 tbsp. olive oil. Season with salt and ground black pepper and combine well. Roast at the preheated oven (180 C/ 350 F) for 30 ʹ 35 minutes. For the lamb stew, cut the lamb into chunky, generous bite size pieces. Pour in 2 tbsp. olive oil in a wide, heavy pan and stir in the diced onions. Sauté over medium to high heat for 3 minutes, the onions will start to soften. Stir in the lamb pieces and sauté with the onions for

5 minutes, mixing regularly. The lamb will release its

juice. Add the red pepper paste and/or red pepper flakes (if using) and tomato paste to the pan, combine well. Check the seasoning and turn the heat to low. Stir in

2 tbsp. water, combine and cover the pan. Simmer the

lamb gently for about 20 minutes, until tender. Just before serving, pour in 1 tbsp. olive oil in a pan and gently reheat the eggplant & garlic puree until it is hot. Turn the heat off and stir the yoghurt to the eggplant pure and combine well.

ƵnjƵĂŶĚŦƌŝƐƚŚĞŵŽƐƚďĞůŽǀĞĚ lamb dish in Turkish

cuisine. The lamb is so fragrant and tender that it falls away from the bone and melts in your mouth like cotton candy.

INGREDIENTS

1 leg of lamb (drumstick and thigh portions)

1/4 cup olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 tsp of black pepper

4 to 5 bay leaves

2 to 3 fresh rosemary sprigs

1/2 cup hot water

INSTRUCTIONS

When you buy your leg of lamb, ask your butcher to clean off as much excess fat as possible. Then, have the leg separated into 3 pieces at the joints.

Preheat your oven to 285 F. Place the lamb in a

shallow, metal oven roasting tray. In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, and spices. Pour the mixture over the lamb. Rub the mixture all over the lamb, massaging it into the meat for several minutes. Add the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs. Place the tray in the oven uncovered. Let the lamb cook slowly at this low temperature for about 1 1/2 hours. You'll see that the meat will release its fat and juices, then reabsorb them as it cooks. After the first 30 minutes, turn the pieces of lamb over. Repeat this 2 more times during the cooking process.

When 1 and a half hours have passed and you have

turned the meat 3 times, pour the 1/2 cup of hot water over the meat, then close the roasting pan completely with aluminum foil. Turn up the oven temperature to 365 F and leave the meat to roast for at least 1 hour more.

After about 1 hour, remove the pan from the oven

and let it rest for 5 minutes. Remove the foil. The meat should be very tender and fall cleanly off the bones. Using 2 forks, remove all the meat from the bones and discard them. Also, remove the bay leaves and rosemary.

ŽƵƌŬƵnjƵƚĂŶĚŦƌŝƐƌĞĂĚLJƚŽƐĞƌǀĞ͘ĞƌǀĞŝƚǁŝƚŚ

piping hot Turkish rice pilaf with orzo, or with potato puree.

TURKISH ROASTED LAMB (KUZU TANDIR)

Tender, spicy, vegetarian meatballs made with red lentils and bulgur are a popular finger food in Turkey.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup red lentil

1/2 cup fine bulgur

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cups of water

1 medium onion, very finely chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp red pepper paste (if you cannot find red

pepper paste you can use 2 tbsp tomato paste)

1 tsp salt

Juice of half or 1 lemon (depends on how you

like it: sour or not so sour)

1/3 bunch parsley, finely chopped

1/2 bunch green onion, finely chopped

curly leaf lettuce

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash lentils and boil them in 2 cups of water until the water is almost gone.

Once you turn it off, add bulgur and salt.

Mix once and cover to let the bulgur expand.

Let it cool off.

Heat oil in a pan and add the onion (not the green one!) and cook until soft. Add tomato paste and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Add cumin and stir once you turn it off.

Add this to the lentils which should be cool by now. Add lemon juice and half of finely chopped parsley and green onion (we're saving the rest of parsley and green onions to garnish) to the lentils.

Mix all well.

Take walnut size pieces and give them ball shape in your hands. Keep a little bowl of water close by to wet your hand frequently during this process since the ball mixture will get stuck on your hands. You can either place lettuce leaves on a serving plate and put balls on top as in the picture, or serve balls and lettuce leaves separately, or skip lettuce leaves completely; however, they really go well together.

RED LENTIL BALLS

Authentic Turkish pilaf (rice) from the hometown of the most famous Turkish chefs.

INGREDIENTS

2 cup baldo rice

250 g of lamb

1 piece of onion

2 tomatoes

300 g of mushrooms

Salt

1 cup of chopped walnut

½ bunch of dill

2 tsp thyme

3 cups of broth

2 tbsp butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Let it rest for 15 minutes in hot salted water by extracting the rice.

Wash and drain water until starch flows.

Melt the butter in a rice pot and cook the lamb until the juice is removed. If the meats are not softened, add some hot water to cook some more until the meat is dehydrated.

Chop the onions and mushrooms finely and add to

the pot. Peel the tomatoes, cut into cubes. Add the tomatoes when the mushrooms are dehydrated.

Add rice, roast a little.

Add the hot broth, salt, pepper and thyme.

Cook over low heat (about 15 minutes).

Place a paper towel in the mouth of the pan for 10 minutes.

Garnish with finely chopped dill and chopped

walnuts

MENGEN PILAF

'Kazandibi' is a Turkish classic: a thick, milky pudding with a golden-brown coating of caramelized sugar on the outside.

INGREDIENTS

1 litre of milk

65 grams of rice flour

55 grams of corn starch

220 grams of sugar

5 drops of vanilla

3 tbsp powdered sugar

1 tbsp butter to grease

3 grains of mastic

1 tbsp cinnamon to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Crush the mastic with a bit of sugar in a mortar and pestle until finely ground. Combine the starch and the flour in a pot. Add about a glass of the milk and mix well until dissolved. Make sure no lumps remain.

Add the remaining milk, ground mastic and the

sugar to the pot, again mix well.

Start cooking over small-medium heat, while

continuously mixing. When you start obtaining a pudding like texture and bubbles start coming up close the heat. Add the vanilla.

If possible, pour the mixture into a mixer and

constantly mix the mixture at lowest possible speed.

If not set aside with lid covered.

Grease your pan/Pyrex dish with butter.

Sprinkle with powder sugar all around evenly. Add on top about a cup of the pudding mixture. Start caramelizing over medium heat on the stove. Moving your pan/dish around will help this happen evenly. The bottom will soon caramelize and turn brownish, be patient. When you decide it is browned enough remove from the stove.

Slowly pour the remaining pudding on top don't

damage the burned bottom. Let cool for about five minutes then prepare another tray with water and place the pan/dish into it so that later serving will be easier. Keep in the water tray for about 10 minutes then fridge it until serving.

To serve, use a knife to cut the pudding to

rectangulars. Use a spatula to take each piece out. You can either serve up-side down or make it round again with up-side down.

Sprinkle some cinnamon. Enjoy.

More than a creamy shredded wheat pudding͙

INGREDIENTS

½ lb shredded dough (Kadaifi)

5-6 tbsp sugar

4-5 tbsp butter

1 ½ cups walnuts/pecans, largely crushed

½ lb whipped cream

**FOR THE ;Ϳ

1 lt milk (5 cups)

1-1½ cup sugar

4-5 tbsp flour

125 gr butter/margarine (1 stick)

1 tsp vanilla extract/1 package ground vanilla or

mastic/mastic gum

INSTRUCTIONS

Leave the shredded dough (kadaifi) in the freezer for about 1-2 hours prior to use. Then, take it out and crack it into small pieces.

Take it to a pot and add butter and sugar.

Cook stirring constantly over medium heat until it gets pinkish. Stir in walnuts/pecans and turn the heat off. Let it cool.

In a pot, sautee margarine/butter and flour over

medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Then stir in milk and sugar and stir continuously. If

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Then stir till the pudding becomes thick, turn heat low and cook for 3-4 minutes.

ĨLJŽƵ͛ůůƵƐĞǀĂŶŝůůĂŝŶƐƚĞĂĚŽĨŵĂƐƚŝc gum, then add

vanilla, stir and turn the heat off. Let the milk pudding cool and add whipped cream.

Mix with a mixer until it gets smooth.

Take the half of the shredded dough mixture over a rectangular big Pyrex dish and spread the milk pudding over. Finally spread the remaining milk pudding mixture over.

Cut in square slices and serve.

SHREDDED WHEAT PUDDING

A luxurious comfort food any time of the LJĞĂƌ͙ Milky, rich, sweet, smooth. A cold dessert in summer or warm comfort food ...

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of semolina

1 ½ cup sugar

4 cups of boiling water/milk

125 gr (1 stick) butter/margarine

50 gr pine nut

1 tsp vanilla extract / 1 package vanilla

2 tbsp oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Place semolina and butter/margarine in a pot

and sauté over medium heat. They will turn to light brown.

Then, turn the heat off.

Stir in boiling water/milk and close the lid.

Set aside for 10 minutes, so that semolina will

absorb the water. Stir in sugar and vanilla, close the lid and leave for 5 minutes. In a small pan, sauté pine nuts with oil until they turn to golden brown.

Stir in semolina.

Let the Semolina Halvah cool and serve with

cinnamon on top if desired.

MILKY SEMOLINA DESSERT