Turkish delights

Turkish cuisine ranks as one of the top five in the world, and deservedly so. With influences from all the different regions of the vast Ottoman Empire, it is a fusion of colours and flavours.

By Camilla Kaas Stock, pictures Almost Turkish Recipes

Perhaps one of the first things we think about when anybody mentions Turkish food is the kebab. The kebab shop on the corner has become a familiar sight throughout the UK, as well as many other western countries, but apart from that Turkish cuisine has not reached the same popularity as for example Chinese or Indian food. This is a bit of a shame, because with its eclectic mix of Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Balkan food traditions and its preference for fresh ingredients, delicate spices and herbs, it truly is a world class cuisine.

Flavour to savour
Turkey is a big country and each of its seven regions has its own culinary traditions. In the Black Sea region, where people through the generation have lived off the sea, you will find an array of fish dishes. While the Aegean, Marmara and Mediterranean regions are heavily influenced by Mediterranean cuisine, with plenty of vegetables, herbs and fish.

As well as its regional differences there are of course plenty of common Turkish specialities that are found throughout the country. If you pop into one of the many bakeries you will find wonderful breads and cakes, not to mention pastries, or börek as they are called, which are filled with meat, cheese or vegetables. The famous meze, a collection of hot and cold dishes similar to the Spanish Tapas, is another thing not to be missed. It is a nice way to while away a Sunday afternoon, with dish after mouth watering dish being placed in front of you. Here you'll find stuffed vegetables and vine leaves, hummus, olives, salads, well as meat and fish dishes.
Broiled or roasted meat, like köfte and the kebab are also popular, as are shish kebabs, which is marinated meat grilled over an open fire.

If you never have been tempted to enter a Turkish restaurant, then why not try one of these wonderful recipes below, used with permission from Almost Turkish Recipes.

Thracian Roasted Eggplant Salad (Tunçilik)
(for 6 people)

Roasted eggplant salads are very common in Thrace, which lies in the northwestern corner of Turkey, also known as the European part of the country.

This recipe for Tunçilik, is one of the many different versions of roasted eggplant salad that are served in a meze, but can also be used an appetizer.

4 eggplants

5-6 big red peppers

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

6-7 tbsp of vinegar

3-4 tbsp olive oil

salt

1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped

There's nothing written in stone. You can use more or less of everything, but whatever you do, make sure you use all of the ingredients. There's no such thing as Tunçilik without parsley, peppers, tomatoes, or vinegar.

First roast the eggplants and peppers on a grill or in oven at 230 Celsius. Then add the tomatoes and roast for 4-5 minutes.
Let them cool, peel and deseed them, then chopped them all finely.
In a bowl mix crushed garlic with the eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, and parsley.
In another small bowl, mix vinegar, olive oil, and salt. Pour this over the vegetables. Mix well and taste.

If you think you can handle a little more garlic and vinegar, do not hesitate to add more.
Tunçilik goes well with red meat or poultry, especially if they're grilled. And do not forget to soak up the juice with fresh bread.

Black-eyed beans with Sujuk (Sucuklu Tane Börülce)

This is a hearty, spicy, and belly warming stew from Central Anatolia.

Sujuk is Middle Eastern beef sausage dried with several spices black pepper, cumin, garlic, paprika, etc. You can find sujuk at Middle Eastern stores, but it can be replaced with pepperoni or kielbasa.

1/2 lb black-eyed beans

1/2 or 1/3 sujuk, sliced (or pepperoni or kielbasa)

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, cut in thin half moons

2-3 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp sugar

4-5 tomatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Heat butter in an earthenware if you have one, otherwise just use a cooking pot. Stir in onion, garlic, sujuk, sugar, and cumin seeds. Cook for 3-4 minutes until onion is softened.
Add tomato, salt, and ground pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add black-eyed beans and enough water to cover them.
If you started with earthenware, cover and bake at 190 Celsius for 40-45 minutes.
If you use a regular pot, cover and cook on low for half an hour.
After turning it off, add chopped parsley.
Serve with rice.

Turkish Pumpkin Dessert (Kabak Tatlısı)

Pumpkin dessert is a popular and traditional recipe, which is also very easy to make. You can use butternut squash instead of pumpkin.

pumpkin or butternut squash

sugar

4-5 cloves

crushed walnuts

the ratio of pumpkin to sugar is 1 to 1/2. For example 3 cups of squash would need 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Peel the pumpkin, cut it into big chunks, and put in a pot. Put sugar on and let it sit over night. It will release water, so you don't need to add water when you're cooking it. The next day, add 4-5 cloves in to the pot and cook on medium until the pumpkin is soft, approximately 30 minutes. Let it cool and garnish with walnuts or grated coconut and perhaps a dash of cream.

For an Irish touch, serve with Guinness.

These recipes and pictures are used with permission of Almost Turkish Recipes.
If this has inspired you to try some more, why not go to www.almostturkish.blogspot.com

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