A Traditional Turkish Dinner

Tonight's menu looks like this:

Mezze (appetizer) 

Kabat Corbasi  (Pumpkin soup with Yogurt )

Main Course 

Tavuk Ve Domatesli Pilav  (Roast Chicken with Tomato Pilaf)

Dessert

Yogurtlu Tatlisi  (A Turkish Cheesecake-type dessert made with Yogurt)

Recipes to follow

The food of Turkey differs from Moroccan or Lebanese by being much less spicy. The flavours are subtle and intentionally muted to distinguish it from the aforementioned. As cuisine began to develop in Istanbul it was geared toward a more European palate, thus the difference.

Since I have already given the recipe for Pumpkin Soup. I will start here with

Roast Chicken with Tomato Pilaf

1 large chicken breast or two thighs skinned and cut into 2 inch  cubes. 

Coat cubes with olive oil, sprinkle with lemon juice and roast in shallow pan until done.

Steam 2 cup rice

In deep skillet chop 1/2 cup onion and 1 clove garlic into 1/4 cup olive oil until tender. Stir in rice and add 1 large can diced tomatoes. Add roasted chicken and simmer. Garnish with flat parsley.


Turkish Yogurt Cake

4 large eggs separated

1/2 cup confectionary sugar

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups Greek Yogurt

Juice of 1 lemon and 1 tablespoon lemon zest.

Mix yogurt, egg yolks, lemon, sugar, flour until thin and yellow. Beat egg whites separately and fold in (soufflé style) pour into 9 inch round pan and sprinkle top with nutmeg or cinnamon. Bake until top is slightly browned. I layered mine with Cinnamon and Nutmeg and drizzled with honey
 
Can serve with a simple syrup or fresh fruit.

TAH DAH!
A Traditional Turkish Meal!

Impression?

Pumpkin Soup could only be considered food to the VERY hungry. Or apparently if you are MY cat.

 The Chicken dish was tasty but needed spiced up. The whole bland and subtle doesn't work for me,I guess. The flavour was nice, though and it smelled great cooking. Tucker gave it two paws way up!  The Yogurt Layered Cake was Outstanding.

I drizzled mine with honey.

 This is definitely joining the recipe box!

As I have started working my way through the book I have noticed an enormous amount of pumpkin, eggplant,lamb and fish. A scant amount of beef. Also numerous types of cheeses. Mainly goat. Yogurt is omnipresent...and pistachios sprinkled throughout. I have noticed you can nearly make anything look like a Turkish dish with the addition of chopped pistachios. 

Also that flat parsley gives the greatest presentation.


Many of the Mezze (appetizer) recipes are simple purees (pumpkin,  eggplant, chickpea) served with Pita (called Pide in Turkey. A round puffy flat disk of bread.)  May actually attempt to bake my own Pide on Sunday.

Still want to try Pistachio Baklava.

Ordered an Ibrik (cerze)

and this Turkish Coffee Demitasse (although the one I ordered is copper), this morning. To be delivered next week. Turkey seems to route their purchases directly through London...so instead of the MONTH that things took from Crete...it is lightning fast (relatively speaking).

To have not only as my Souvenir of Turkey...but also so I can learn to make Turkish Coffee when they arrive, to go with my "gelatinous cubes"...er... Turkish Delight.

Later...
 

A Little...

And I must...because I spent..well a long time laughing my ass off over the new Biden-Obama Memes, which are Brilliant. Then I thought...hey...I will share them with all of you!

Enjoy!

That's it.

I've got it out of my system now!

~laughing~

Finishing Gemell's Troy Trilogy...Turkish Cookbook...and Pumpkin Soup Drizzled with Yogurt

Continuing with Our Virtual Turkish Adventure...

Started more than a month ago in the Isles of Greece...this morning I completed David Gemell's: Troy Trilogy. Since the books were set basically throughout the region and a great deal of it in Persia and on The Great Green (Arabian Sea) I thought ending it during the Turkish Adventure was quite appropriate.

An excellent body of historical fiction giving you a taste of what life was like back when the area was still being fought over and settled. And a glimpse into the lives of the people of the time. From slaves and whores to heroes and kings. 

A nice accompaniment to discovering the Mediterranean.

Also picked up this as an enhancement to our virtual journey-

And will be using it today as we start trying Recipes from Turkey.

Since the area is primarily Muslim you will see no pork. (...that is right..no bacon...ever...whimper...) The primary meat is lamb or goat. There are a great many recipes for vegetables especially eggplant. Stuffed, pureed, made into soups and stews. Also rice, cucumbers, chickpeas, sesame paste, yogurt and pastries (both sweet and savory)

Since I happen to have pumpkin on hand and have recently learned to make an inexhaustable supply of yogurt...and the last of my fresh flat Italian parsley (that still hasn't quite grasp the idea the season is over) the first Turkish Dish we will try is

Pumpkin Soup  Drizzled with Yogurt and Garnish with Flat Parsley
( Kabat Corbasi)

2 cups pumpkin puree. 
You can bake and puree small pie pumpkins, yourself, if you like. I am sure the early Turkish did.
I used Libby's Canned Pumpkin Puree.

1/4 cup (total) minced garlic and onion

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup milk or cream

2 Tablespoons Honey or Maple Syrup

salt/pepper/nutmeg and cinnamon to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large soup pot. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat and then simmer for additional 10 minutes covered

Ladle into soup bowls and drizzle with yogurt. Garnish with Fresh Flat Italian Parsley. Can also garnish with Pine Nuts or Sesame Seeds.

Enjoy!



More anon...


Who knew cats ate Pumpkin Soup????