Muhammara

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's hard to believe the year is coming to an end. At dinner tonight Bob and I will toast absent friends and I want you to know that all of you are included in that number. We have no special plans for the evening, though we will be hosting a brunch on New Year's Day. I have made some very simple finger foods for the two of us to nibble on as wile away the countdown to midnight. I've actually made three dishes and a coin toss determined which I would share with you today. Muhammara, a hot pepper dip, won. This is a Turkish dip that I had for the first time this year. As you scan the recipe ingredients you'll see that there is nothing here not to like. It is very easy to make and if you keep pomegranate molasses in the pantry, you can have it on the table in 10 minutes. It is usually eaten as a dip or spread, though it also makes a wonderful sauce for grilled meats and chicken. It's important to use fresh bread crumbs and toasted walnuts when you make this. They add flavor and texture that can't be achieved with easier substitutions. I hope you'll give this dip a try. It is additive and I think you'll like it. And because it's New Year's Eve, I thought I sneak in the latest pictures of our younger grandsons. They're sweeter than muhammara but just as addictive. They are, however, more work.Their photos are at the end of this post. Here's the recipe for this wonderful Turkish dip.

Muhammara...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 (7-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry
2/3 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted lightly and chopped fine
2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
toasted pita triangles as an accompaniment

Directions:
In a food processor blend together peppers, bread crumbs, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, cumin, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste until mixture is smooth. With motor running add oil gradually. Transfer muhammara to a bowl and serve it at room temperature with crudities or pita triangles. If not served immediately refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Serve at room temperature. Yield: 1-1/2 cups.







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Turkish Red Lentil Soup - Kirmizi Mercimek Corbasi

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It was a perfect day for soup. The sun rose somewhere this morning, but it certainly was here, and it didn't take much for the Oregon damp and chill to reach these old bones. Fortunately, I still had turkey stock in the refrigerator and knew that somewhere in the recesses of the pantry I had a cup of red lentils that would whisk me to the dusty paths of Ephesus and memories of the extraordinary people with whom I first had the soup I wanted to prepare. At several points during our visit to Turkey, we crossed paths with a small group of pilgrims who were retracing the journey of St. Paul through the Mediterranean. Ephesus held special meaning for these devout and true believers and it was here that we first met and broke bread with them. The mainstay of their diet was a soup very similar to the one I'm featuring today. Red lentil soup is extremely popular in Turkey and, with slight variations, it can be found throughout the country. Their version of the soup - Ezo Gelin - comes with a story. The soup is attributed to Ezo, a woman, who despite her great beauty, was unlucky in love. An arranged first marriage to a man who loved another, ended in divorce. Her second marriage took her to Syria where she had to deal with a difficult mother-in-law. Ezo created her soup to please the woman, and that soup, and Ezo's story, have become legend. The soup is now symbolically fed to brides to sustain them for the uncertain future that lies ahead. An authentic recipe for Ezo Gelin Corbasi can be found here. I didn't have all the ingredients I needed to make her soup, so I decided to make this version which is also wonderful and extremely easy to prepare. The soup is usually pureed, but I bypassed that step because I wanted some texture in the version I planned to serve for dinner. I know that those of you who try this soup will love it. It is warm and hearty and has wonderful color. It's easy to make and even more importantly, it's delicious. Do try this. Here's the recipe.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by MediterrAsian.com and countless Turkish women

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red lentils
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
6 cups vegetable or poultry stock
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Greek-style yogurt for serving

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add onion and carrots and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2) Add garlic, cumin, coriander and ginger and cook, stirring, for a minute. Add tomato paste, lentils, tomatoes, stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover pot, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 30 minutes.
3) Transfer mixture to a blender in batches and process until smooth. If soup is too thick, thin with water or additional stock. Serve in individual bowls topped with a dollop of yogurt. Yield: 6 large servings.








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Turkish Eggplant Stew with Tomatoes - Domatesli Patlican

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Turkish appetizers, called meze, are delicious and can be be served hot or cold. The sheer number of them can overwhelm even the most adventuresome palates, but you would have been proud of me. I suffered for my art, and can happily report I entered and left the competition with my head held high and my reputation intact. You must understand that I eat anything that doesn't bite back, and swallow Imodium the way most folks swallow vitamins. The combination of the two allows me to eat street food and tackle two foot trays of meze with complete abandon. The stew I'm featuring today is usually served as part of a Turkish meze, though now that we are home I spoon it over rice and serve it as a light main course for lunch or dinner. I've found the flavor improves if the dish is allowed to sit for several hours before serving and I guarantee that those of you who enjoy ratatouille will like this dish as well. This is one of those dishes that has crossed borders and assumed the identity of the country in which it found itself. The Turkish version is easier to make than most, but it still retains bold flavor and keeps folks coming back for more. The Silver Fox loves to pile this on a baguette, while I prefer to heat it and serve it over rice. Either way, it is delicious and I know those of you who like strong flavors will enjoy it. Here's the recipe.

Turkish Eggplant Stew with Tomatoes - Domatesli Patlican...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Hayriye's Turkish Food and Recipes

Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants, washed and peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup tomato juice from diced tomatoes
1 (15-oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
1) Cut eggplants in cubes and submerge in a bowl of salted water. Let sit for about 20 minutes and then rinse , drain and pat dry.
2) Sauté onions with olive oil in a large pot until softened. Stir in tomato paste and peppers. Saute over medium heat and then stir in eggplants. Add eggplants and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain tomatoes reserving juice in which they were packed. Stir 1/2 cup tomato juice, salt and basil into pot. Spoon drained tomatoes over top of eggplant mixture. Do not stir. Cover pot and simmer until eggplant is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle black pepper on top and stir. Serve warm or cool, with yogurt or cacik, a thin cucumber and yogurt sauce that can be seen here. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

This post is being linked to the Healthy Cooking Challenge at Edible Entertainment.








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Menemen and Breakfast in Istanbul

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you think Paris is a moveable feast, it will help to think of Istanbul as an unending block party where lusty flavors fill bowls that never seem to empty. The feast begins at breakfast where tables laden with fresh fruits and vegetables are balanced with the local cheeses and wonderful breads that helped give Turkey its reputation as a food lover's paradise. A typical breakfast includes a unique and slightly milder version of feta cheese called called beyaz peynir. You'll also find wedges of a semi-soft sheep's milk cheese called kasar. There are platters and bowls of butter, olives, eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, jam, honey and a spicy Turkish sausage called sucuk. If you are lucky you might also be served pastirma, which is a thinly sliced air-dried beef that is spicy like pastrami. There will be filled flaky pastries called börek and the ubiquitous Turkish bagel-like rolls called simit. There are bowls of hard boiled eggs and a Turkish egg specialty called menemen. The dish contains eggs, onions, green peppers and tomatoes and it can be scrambled or prepared in the same fashion as a frittata. Interestingly, tea is the beverage of choice for breakfast in Turkey. There is some humor in that. The Turkish word for breakfast is kahvalti, which we were told means before coffee, but we couldn't find brewed coffee in the whole of Istanbul. Believe me we looked. There was lots of the instant variety but we never found a place that served the real thing. That led to much grumbling from the Silver Fox and other aficionados who like their morning coffee strong and intravenously. Today's recipe is for menemen, an egg dish that's crossed borders and worked its way into the cuisine of many countries. In Turkey it's made with a lot more olive oil than I've used in the recipe that appears below. I've cut back to keep you from talking about me, but you should know that Turkish cooks use copious amounts of olive oil and they are very healthy people. Banana peppers are usually used to make this dish, but if they are unavailable bell peppers can be substituted. I really hope you'll try this. It truly is delicious and very easy to make. Here's the recipe.

Menemen...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
8 eggs, lightly beaten
2 onions, diced
2 green peppers, sliced crosswise or diced
4 tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:
1) Sauté onions and peppers in olive oil until tender. Add well-drained tomatoes and cook for 5 to 7 minutes longer. Add parsley and season lightly with salt and pepper.
2) Pour eggs over mixture in pan. Stir until cooked. Yield: 4 servings.

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Turkish Tomato Rice - Domatesli Pilav

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Most Turkish food is mildly flavored and this lovely tomato rice is no exception. It lends beautiful color to a plate and it is a perfect foil to those dishes that are more highly spiced. It is wonderful accompaniment for Turkish meatballs, chops and kebabs. I have, of course, returned from our trip with recipes and cookbooks galore and have three possible versions of this dish on hand. I've chosen the easiest of them to share with you in order to keep translation to a minimum. Metric conversion is not the problem. Most Turkish recipes are written in the same way our grandmother's recipes were written and it is commonplace to see measurements given in forms that can bedevil an unsuspecting cook. A recipe may call for a tea cup of this or a coffee cup or glass of that. Then there is the distinction between the spoon, tea spoon, soup spoon and dessert spoon, each of which designates a unique quantity. At first, I thought it would be fun to post these recipes as they were written, but then realized the humor would be fleeting and your patience short-lived. So, I'll be translating the recipes I share with you and use measurements that you are more familiar with. Believe it or not, some of my new cookbooks actually have conversion tables to assist in this task. That's how I know a Turkish tea cup is equal to 4/5 of an American measuring cup, but only 2/3 of a British breakfast cup. I won't even go into the spoon thing because the conversion tables are contradictory. Fortunately, I brought home a complete set of Turkish spoons and will use them when there is confusion. The food makes all of this worthwhile and there are truly glories that come from the Turkish kitchen. I know those of you who try this recipe will really like this rice. Here's how it is made.

Turkish Tomato Rice - Domatesli Pilav...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Neset Eren

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups long grain rice
Salt to taste
4 medium tomatoes, skinned and chopped
6 tablespoons butter
2-1/2 cups beef or chicken broth
Pepper to taste
Directions:
1) Place rice in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon salt and cover with hot water. Stir and allow to cool. Once it's cool, drain and set aside.
2) Cook tomatoes in butter over medium heat in a heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally until a paste forms, about 30 minutes. Stir constantly towards end of cooking to prevent tomatoes from burning. Add broth, salt, and pepper, and boil for 2 minutes. Add rice while the broth is still boiling. Stir once, then cover and cook on high heat, without stirring, for 5 minutes. Turn heat down to low, keep covered, and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and discard tomato skins with a slotted spoon. Place a cloth napkin over saucepan, and then recover pan with lid. Let it sit, covered, for 40 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish. Yield: 6 servings.









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Pide - Turkish Pizza

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When traveling, those of us who have replaced backpacks and hostels with more upscale arrangements are often shortchanged. While accommodations may be more comfortable, it can be difficult for tourists to get a feel for the food of the areas they are visiting. In an effort to please everyone, hotel dining rooms have dumbed down the food they serve and those who want to sample local fare often have to hit the streets in order to find it. While our hotels in Turkey served wonderful food, it was usually an adaption of Turkish food and both Bob and I preferred the more authentic street food and meals we found on our own. We were also extremely fortunate to have a guide whose plans for us included wonderful lunches in Turkish homes and local restaurants. One of the dishes she introduced us to was pide, the Turkish equivalent of pizza. Pide is made in wood-fired ovens and while it is bears some resemblance to pizza, it is not as heavy. An assortment of ingredients can be used to top it and it makes an extremely satisfying meal that is inexpensive and a lunchtime favorite in areas where it can be found. I thought you might enjoy it as well, so I wanted to pass the recipe on to you. I have included instructions for making the dough that forms the pide base, but the world will not end if you use a commercially prepared equivalent. My only caution is to keep the crust thin. This is an interesting dish and I think you will enjoy it. Here's how it is made.


Pide - Turkish Pizza...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Dough

Ingredients: (makes approx four Pide bases)
2 teaspoons dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup warm water or milk
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
1) Sprinkle yeast on top of water or milk. Stir in sugar and let sit until mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
2) In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Stir in yeast and olive oil and mix until well-blended. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
3) Return dough to bowl. Dust top with flour and cover bowl with clear plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Let sit in a warm spot until dough is 50 % higher than before, about 20 minutes.
4) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
5) Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and kneed each of them on a lightly floured surface to eliminate air bubbles. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough into an elongated oval or rectangle.
6) Using one of the toppings below, spread each piece to within 1-inch of edges. Crimp edges and brush with olive oil. Transfer to a baking sheet if desired. Bake for about 15 minutes on a baking sheet or directly on oven racks.

Meat Topping

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 peeled and diced tomato
1 sweet bell pepper, finely diced
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, spread thinly over dough. Bake as instructed above.

Cheese Topping

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (15-oz.) can chopped tomatoes, drained
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Black olives
Oregano
Coarsely ground black pepper

Directions:
Saute onions in olive oil until transparent, add garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant. Add tomatoes, and let mixture cook until most of juice has evaporated. Spread sauce on top of pide. Top with black olives and some of the feta and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with oregano and black pepper to taste.Bake as directed above.







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Turkish Delights - Lokum

Hot air ballooning in Cappadocia just after sunrise in Turkey.




Turkish Delights

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We are home and ever so slowly coming down to earth. It's been a wonderful holiday and I'll be sharing some of our adventures and food discoveries with you over the next few weeks. I thought I'd start with two of the Turkish delights we encountered while we were traveling. One, of course, is the confection immortalized by C.S. Lewis and used to tempt Edmund in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." The other addresses an adventure that's been on my bucket list for years now. Time and place finally coincided, and I was able to join a sunrise balloon squadron that soared over the near mystical topography and rock formations of the Rose and Pigeon valleys in Cappadocia. This part of the country is riddled with underground cities and outcropping that have been hollowed out to form churches and homes originally built to protect inhabitants from marauding invaders. It is also home to thousand of pigeon houses and roosts. If you look closely at the bottom of the second photo, you can see an example of this. At one time, pigeon droppings were used as fertilizer and area farmers made life as pleasant as they could for the birds whose waste was used locally for crops or sold and transported elsewhere. Most of the pigeons are gone now, but enough remain to provide some local color and allow the imaginative to journey back in time. As it happens, Turkish Delight, the confection, was served with champagne at the end of our flight. It was a very civilized way to begin the day and a great way to introduce today's recipe.

This candy has the consistency of Gummy Bears or Chuckles and it will not be to every one's liking. It is made from sugar and cornstarch and is chewy, even when fresh. I've chosen the most basic of recipes for today's post and used rosewater and creme de menthe to flavor my candy. The addition of fruit and nuts would produce a more sophisticated confection that is more like a nougat than a jelly. It would also make the candy more difficult to prepare. I'm going to follow the line of least resistance and stick with the more simple application. You will need a candy thermometer to make this and it is important to follow instructions exactly. The finished candy has a tendency to weep, so it is important to make sure it is dry before you coat it with confectioners' sugar. I let mine sit for two days before I coated it. While this will be nothing more than a curiosity for some, those of you who like to make candy for the holidays might like to give this recipe a try. Here's how it is made.

Turkish Delight...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
4 cups granulated sugar
1-1/4 cups cornstarch
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
4-1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-1/2 tablespoons rosewater or creme de menthe
Optional: 2 to 3 drops red or green food coloring
1 cup confectioners sugar
Vegetable oil or shortening

Directions:
1) Grease sides and bottom of a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with vegetable oil or shortening. Line with wax paper or foil and grease pan again.
2) Combine lemon juice, sugar and 1-1/2 cups water in a saucepan set over medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves. Allow mixture to boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer, until mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and set aside.
3) Combine cream of tartar, 1 cup corn starch and remaining water in saucepan over medium heat. Stir until all lumps are gone and mixture begins to boil. Stop stirring when the mixture has a glue like consistency.
4) Stir in lemon juice, water and sugar mixture. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently.
5) Once mixture has become a golden color, stir in rosewater or creme de menthe and food coloring if using. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Spread evenly and allow to cool overnight.
6) Once it has cooled overnight, sift together confectioners sugar and remaining cornstarch.
7) Turn over baking pan containing Turkish delight onto clean counter or table and cut with oiled knife into one inch pieces.
8) Coat with confectioners sugar mixture. Serve or store in airtight container in layers separated with wax or parchment paper.







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White Chocolate Pumpkin Fudge - Flour on My Face
Pumpkin Macadamia Fudge - The Domestic Mama and Village Cook
Candy Corn Snack Mix - Jane Deere
Pumpkin Fudge - Brown Eyed Baker
Turkish Delights - The Royal Cook

Turkish Shepherd's Salad - Coban Salatas

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Many of you know that the Silver Fox and I had intended to vacation in Egypt, Jordan and Israel, until upheaval in the region caused us to cancel our plans. We'll be picking an alternate destination this weekend. The plan, in theory anyway, is quite simple. We each prepare a list of three countries we'd like to visit. We take the deliberations very seriously and are set to defend choices in a manner akin to that of a doctoral candidate defending a thesis. Sometimes our choices are in sync with each other. Sometimes not. Last year we were at an impasse and actually drew lots to determine where we'd be heading for our holiday. This year I've readied some great arguments to support my preferences for the adventure. My choices include Turkey, Peru or New Zealand. I don't yet know what countries the Silver Fox will throw into the mix. At any rate, I've prepared visuals and been conducting a subliminal campaign - in the form of food - to swing the balance in my favor, and should stealth tactics be necessary I plan to pull out all stops. Tonight's dinner included elements, like this salad, that might be found on a Turkish table. The salad is lovely and quite refreshing and it goes well with lamb. While it involves some chopping, it is very easy to do and my only caution is to use really ripe tomatoes when you make it. I think you'll enjoy its freshness, but try not to make more than will be eaten with your meal. Refrigeration does nothing to help the tomatoes and leftovers should be passed over. Here's the recipe for this simple and refreshing salad.

Turkish Shepherd's Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Salad
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
3 large tomatoes, juiced, seeded and diced
2 medium green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and diced
1 bunch green onions, white and tender green, chipped
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
8 sprigs fresh mint, finely chopped
Dressing
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh black pepper to taste

Directions:
1) To make salad: Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
2) To make dressing: Place olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
3) To finish: Pour dressing over salad. Yield 4 to 6 servings.







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Kofte with Tzaziki Sauce - What's Cooking on the Mommy Porch
Saksuka - Surfing the World's Cuisine
Chicken Adana Recipe - Dinners and Dreams
Turkish Lahmacan - Island Vittles
Turkish Pear Coffee Bread - Big Black Dog
Turkish Beef Meatballs - Chow and Chatter
Simit - Ya Salam Cooking
Lamb and Yogurt Soup - Cooking by the Seat of My Pants
Turkish Red Lentil Soup with Sumac - eCurry
Lokoum a.k.a. Turkish Delight - Needful Things