Regarding the “zeytinyağlı dishes”, Mr. Tuğrul Şavkay continues, “Much as cookery writers trying to follow western culinary categories like to classify zeytinyağlı dishes as cold entrées, you should take no notice of this unfeeling attitude.  The idea of eating cold zeytinyağlı dishes in the meagre portions implied by the term entrée is alien to the true spirit of the dish.  Moreover, these dishes can be eaten warm, lukewarm or cold, depending on personal taste…”  “However, the classical zeytinyağlı dish is more often eaten cold.  The need for light and cool dishes in hot weather is in my view, the reason why they have lost none of their popularity over the centuries…”  “The simplest type of zeytinyağlı dish is prepared by frying vegetables in olive oil.  Aubergines, peppers and courgettes can all be prepared in this fashion, as can some winter vegetables such as carrots, although these are exceptions.  I prefer the sliced vegetables fried directly in olive oil, although some people would opt for frying in batter.  Courgettes and carrots are favoured for the latter method.  Another type of zeytinyağlı dish is prepared by sautéing summer vegetables in olive oil, then adding water and cooking over a low heat…”(To be continued).

RECIPE/ ZEYTİNYAĞLI TAZE BAKLA / WHOLE BROAD BEANS  (Serves 10)

1 ½ kg. broad beans in their pods 
2 medium onions 
1 teaspoon salt 
¾ cup olive oil 
2 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 cup warm water
juice of ¼ lemon
½ bunch dill
350 gr. Yogurt
To soak the broad beans:
Plenty of water
1 tablespoon flour
juice of ½ lemon
Top and tail the whole broad beans in their pods and place in a large bowl.  Rub with plenty of salt to remove the down and discolouration.  Set aside for 10 minutes, then wash in plenty of water and soak in water for 5 minutes.  Strip the strings from either side and place in a bowl of water mixed with 1 tablespoon of flour and the juice of half a lemon (set aside half a cup of this water).  Chop the onions and rub with a teaspoon of salt.  Sprinkle some of the chopped onion into a medium saucepan and arrange some of the beans over one by one to form a neat layer.  Sprinkle some more of the onion over and then another neat layer of beans.  Repeat until finished, ending with some of the chopped onion.  Pour the half cup of water mixed with flour and lemon juice, and the olive oil over.  Sprinkle the sugar and 1 cup of water over, and weight down with a plate.  Cover and bring to the boil, then cook over a low heat for about 1 – 1.5 hour until the beans are tender.  Ten minutes before removing from the heat sprinkle the ¼ lemon juice over.  Without removing the lid, set aside to cool.  Drain the liquid into a bowl.  Turn the beans out upside down into a dish and pour the liquid over.  Decorate with dill and serve with yogurt in a separate bowl.

Source:  Timeless Tastes of Vehbi Koç Vakfı

Afiyet olsun!

When describing “zeytinyağlı dishes”, Mr. Tuğrul Şavkay mentions that “vegetables cooked with olive oil are the sort of dish that Turks must have encountered after their migration to Anatolia from the steppes of Central Asia, since the narrow confines of olive production preclude any other theory.”  He continues, “Olives, wine and wheat are historic foods shared by all Mediterranean people since antiquity.  The diet of Jews, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and every other ancient civilisation in the region featured these three staples…”

When the Turks took possession of Anatolia from the Eastern Roman Empire in the eleventh century, those who settled in the west also adopted Roman olive oil cookery.  If a line is drawn across Turkey between the Black Sea town of Samsun and the eastern Mediterranean port of Iskenderun, we have a rough map of Turkey’s olive oil using region, which lies to the west of this line. 
This also corresponds to areas where the olive is cultivated.  The only exception is Gaziantep, which although lying east of this imaginary line makes use of olive oil in many dishes…” “The fact is that, especially in summer, the people of this region, who in many respects are typical of Mediterranean people everywhere, would not think of sitting down to a meal that did not include at least one zeytinyağlı dish.  And if three or four were served at once they would not consider it excessive…” (To be continued)

RECIPE/ ZEYTİNYAĞLI BARBUNYA FASULYESİ / BORLOTTO BEANS  (Serves 6-8)

1 kg. fresh borlotto (red) beans 
4 cups water (to boil the beans) 
2 medium onions 
2 large tomatoes 
5 cloves garlic 
¾ cup olive oil
2-3 green chili peppers
2 ½ cups hot water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Shell the beans, wash and bring to the boil in 4 cups of water.  Simmer until partially tender and drain.  Peel the onions and garlic and leave whole.  Peel the tomatoes, remove the seeds and dice small.  Place the tomatoes, whole onions and olive oil into a saucepan and cook over a medium heat until the tomatoes have softened, stirring occasionally.  Add 2 ½ cups of hot water, salt, sugar, the whole garlic cloves, and cooked beans, and stir.  Place the whole green chili peppers on top.  Cover and cook until the beans are tender, and only the oil and very little liquid remains.  A little more hot water may be added during the cooking process if necessary.  Set aside the saucepan to cool with the lid on.  Remove the whole onions to serve, and arrange the whole peppers on top of the beans.
Source:  Timeless Tastes of Vehbi Koç Vakfı

Afiyet olsun!

Regarding the “musakka and oturtma”, Mr. Tuğrul Şavkay mentiones, “A fine line divides thses two types of dishes, which are very similar in both technique and ingredients.  To class as an oturtma dish the vegetable must be hollowed out while raw and the filling placed inside, a technique related to the stuffing process associated with of the dolma.  This is one of the minor details which distinguishes oturtmas and musakkas.  In view of the fact that the first is a Turkish word and the second Arabic they may even be regarded as versions of a single prototype.  After being washed, peeled and dried the vegetables are fried in olive or sunflower oil…”  “The minced meat mixture is the most striking feature distinguishing musakka and oturtma from bastı and silkme.  When a Turkish diner is deciding between these two categories his preference for minced or cubed meat is the primary consideration.  The minced meat filling used for both musakka and oturtma is prepared as follows:  First onion is fried for a few minutes in butter, then the minced meat is added and cooked over a medium heat for another three to five minutes until the juice released by the meat has evaporated away.  Add finely chopped, seeded and peeled tomatoes, salt, pepper and stock, and cook gently.  The vegetables are then arranged in a shallow pan.  At this point oturtma and musakka diverge slightly.  For the former the mince mixture is placed neatly into hollows in the prepared vegetables, while for the latter the mixture is merely poured over the top…”

RECIPE/ İÇ BAKLALI ENGİNAR / ARTICHOKES WITH BORAD BEANS  (Serves 10)

10 artichokes                                             To rub the artichokes:

8 cups water                                              1 lemon

3 medium onions                                       salt

¼ cup lemon juice                                     To soak the artichokes:

¾ cup olive oil                                           8 cups water

2 teaspoons salt                                         juice of 1 lemon

6 teaspoons sugar                                      2 tablespoons flour

7 teaspoons flour

broad beans (according to the recipe, given on March 15th, 2010 issue of the Land of Lights)

Pull off the outer leaves of the artichokes.  Cut off the stalks and pare.  With a small sharp knife slice away the purple choke horizontally.  Pare away the leaves and hard sections until the white heart is left.  Remove any fine hairs left from the choke with a spoon.  Rub the artichoke hearts with lemon juice mixed with a little salt so that they do not discolor.  Toss the prepared artichokes into the water mixed with lemon juice and flour.  Put 8 cups of water into a large saucepan, add the artichokes, pared stalks, peeled whole onions and other ingredients (mix the flour with a little water first to prevent it going lumpy).  Cover with a round sheet of greaseproof paper (pushing it down inside the saucepan), and weight down with a plate.  Cover an dbring to the boil over a high heat, then cook over a gentle heat for about 45 minutes.  Remove from the heat and set aside to cool without removing the saucepan lid.  When cool place the artichokes on a serving dish and fill the centres with the broad beans.  Pour the juice in which the artichokes cooked over, and decorate with sprigs of dill.

Source:  Timeless Tastes of Vehbi Koç Vakfı

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RECIPE/ FIRINDA SÜTLAÇ / BAKED RICE PUDDING  (Serves 10)
6 tablespoons rice (80 gr.) 
3 ½ cups water 
4 egg yolks 
8 cups milk
¾ cup sugar (200 gr.)
½ teaspoon crushed mastic
6 tablespoons wheat starch or cornflour (40 gr.)

Pick over the rice, wash and drain.  Add to 3 12 cups of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer over a medium heat until the rice grains are tender but not mushy.  If any water is left, strain off.  Blend the wheat starch with half a cup of water.  Crush the mastic with a little sugar in a mortar.
Beat the egg yolks in a separate saucepan and stir in the milk.  Add the sugar, mastic and boiled rice, and stir over a medium heat until the mixture comes to the boil.  Gradually stir in the diluted wheat starch.  When the mixture starts to bubble pour into ten ovenproof bowls.  Place the bowls in a deep oven tray and pour water into the tray to halfway up the sides of the bowls.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees Centigrade until a brown skin has formed on top.  Serve cold.
Note:  If you do not want to bake the rice pudding in the oven, prepare the mixture in the same way with the addition of an extra 3 tablespoons (20 gr.) more wheat starch or cornflour, then pour into bowls and leave to cool.
Source:  Timeless Tastes of Vehbi Koç Vakfı
Afiyet olsun!

RECIPE/ GÜVEÇTE KURUFASULYE / CASSEROLED BEANS (Serves 6)

300 gr. haricot beans 2 large tomatoes For beans with meat:
8 cups water (to boil) 2 small bell peppers 200 gr. cubed lamb
4 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon tomato paste 8 cups hot water or meat stock
1 large onion 1 teaspoon salt For beans with pastırma:
3 cloves garlic 1 taspoon chili flakes 5 cups hot water or meat stock

Soak the beans over night in cold water. Drain and boil in water until tender. Drain, rinse in hot water (to maket hem more digestible) and drain again. Chop the onion and garlic. Peel the tomatoes, remove the seeds and chop finely. Remove the stalks and seeds of the peppers and chop finely. Set aside part of the tomato and peppers to garnish the casserole.

Casseroled beans with meat: Melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until softened, stirring over the heat. Add the meat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the juice is released and evaporated. Add most of th etomatoes and peppers, and the diluted tomato paste, and stir over the heat for a few minutes. Add hot water or meat stock and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down low, and cook covered until the meat is nearly tender. Add the beans, stir, and continue cooking. When nearly ready add salt and chili flakes. When the meat and beans are tender remove from the heat. Heat a casserole on top of the stove, pour in the cooked beans and garnish with the remaining tomatoes and peppers. Cover and bake in a preheated oven at 200˚C for 10 minutes, then remove the lid and bak efor a further 5 minutes.

Casseroled beans with pastırma: Prepare the beans and all the vegetables apart from garlic as above. Cut the slices of pastırma in half or leave whole, depending on the size. Fry the onion in butter, add the chopped tomatoes, peppers and tomato paste, and cook for a few more minutes. Add the cooked beans, and hot water or meat stock, stir and cover. Cook for a while, add the pastırma and stir. Continue cooking a little longer, stir in half a teaspoon of salt, and cook until the beans are really tender. Heat a casserole on the stove, pour the boiling beans with pastırma into it, and garnish with the remaining tomato and pepper. Cover and bake in a preheated oven at 200˚C for 10 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for a further 5 minutes.

Source: Timeless Tastes of Vehbi Koç Vakfı

Afiyet olsun!

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RECIPE/ ZEYTİNYAĞLI PIRASA / LEEKS IN OLIVE OIL (Serves 6)

1 kg. leeks
1 medium onion
1 medium tomato
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons rice
1 ½ cups warm water
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 lemon

To prepare the leeks, cut off the base and coarse ends of the leaves, and discard one or two layers of the outer leaves. Wash and cut the leeks into 3-4 cm. lengths. Peel the carrots and slice thinly. Peel the tomatoes, cut in half and remove the seeds. Wash and drain the rice.

Place the carrots, leeks, whole peeled onions and tomatoes into a saucepan, add the olive oil and ¼ cup of warm water and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add 1 ¼ cups of warm water, salt and sugar, and cover. Continue to cook over a medium heat, shaking lightly the pan occasionally so that the leeks do not stick to the base of the pan and scorch. When the leeks are slightly soft, sprinkle the rice over, cover and cook until only the oil and a little juice remains. Occasionally check that it is not scorching. When the rice is tender, remove from the heat and set aside to cool without removing the lid. Remove the whole onion before placing on a serving dish. Serve with wedges of lemon or lemon juice to sprinkle over.

Source: Timeless Tastes of Vehbi Koç Vakfı

Afiyet olsun!

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Hello!  Merhaba!

Regarding the “köfte”, Mr. Tuğrul Şavkay continues, “As devotees of meat cooked with a sauce of vegetables, particularly tomatoes, it is inevitable that the Turks should have invented a köfte of this sort (salçalı köfte), prepared either in large oven trays or in sahans.  Green chili peppers and tomatoes are essential ingredients of this dish, to which tomato paste is sometimes added to obtain a richer sauce.  However, I should remark here that tomato paste upsets sensitive stomachs and today diced tomatoes are preferred to tomato paste.  Many would agree that köfte cooked in tomato sauce have an enhanced flavour.  The köftes are either fried or baked in the oven before adding the sauce, in my view the latter method being the most delicious.  An alternative which some people prefer is to cook in the köfte over a low heat in a tray or sahan with a lid on.  Those who find dishes made with tomato sauce heavy prefer tiny round köfte in stock thickened with a liaison of egg yolks and lemon juice.  Known as terbiyeli köfte, this common dish is extremely light and low fat, without any sacrifice of flavour.” (To be continued)

RECIPE/ ZEYTİNYAĞLI KEREVİZ / CELERY IN OLIVE OIL (Serves 4)

2 medium celeries

1 lemon

8 button onions

1 medium carrot

1 medium potato

2 tablespoons peas

½ cup olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon flour

1 cup hot water

½ bunch dill

Fill a large bowl with water and stir in the juice of half a lemon.  Cut away the stalks and base of the celeries and peel thickly (about 2-3 cm. should be removed).  Place in the bowl of water to prevent discolouring.  Then divide in half and scoop out a shallow hollow.  Straighten the edges with a knife.  Replace in the water immediately.  If you have a special knife with a round end cut out circles of carrot and potato, or dice.  Boil the peas until tender.

Drain the celeries and arrange in the saucepan.  Add the carrot, potato, button onions, olive oil, water, salt and sugar.  Cover with a circle of greaseproof paper after dampening it with water and squeezing.  Weigh down with a plate which fits inside the pan with a little room to spare, cover and bring to the boil over a high heat.  Continue to cook over a low heat.  When the vegetables are nearly tender mix the flour and lemon juice with a little water and lifting up the greaseproof paper pour over the celeries Add the peas and shake the saucepan gently.  Replace the greaseproof paper and cook for a further five minutes.

Remove from the heat and set aside to cool with the lid on.  Place the celery halves on a serving dish and fill with the other vegetables.  Garnish with a little dill.

Source:  Timeless Tastes of Vehbi Koç Vakfı

Afiyet olsun!

Hello!  Merhaba!

Regarding the “köfte”, Mr. Tuğrul Şavkay continues, “When it comes to cooking köfte, there is a wide range of alternatives.  Grilling is the first which comes to mind, and köfte for this purpose usually contain at least a little crushed garlic.  These köfte may be shaped in various ways, such as flattish circles, plump ovals or short sausage shapes.  Instead of these, the mixture may also be pressed around skewers in long flat lengths, in which case it is known as şiş köfte.  Kuru köfte (dry köfte) are ideal for picnics.  These are fried in olive oil and do not fall apart or release their juices, so hence are suitable for packing and eating with the fingers.  Kadınbudu köfte remarked above are also fried in oil.  Distinctive features of these köfte is that they are made with an equal quantity of raw and fried minced meat, and that they are dipped in beaten egg before being fried.  This forms a lacy edging which gives the köfte a decorative appearance.” (To be continued)

RECIPE/ KABAK TAVA (1) / FRIED COURGETTES (1)(Serves 6)

3-4 medium courgettes

1 cup flour

For the batter:

1 egg yolk

4 tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon tomato paste (optional)

½ teaspoon salt

Punch of black pepper

¾ cup water

To fry:

Sunflower oil

To garnish:

250 gr. Yogurt

2-3 cloves crushed garlic

Cut off the ends of the courgettes and scrape.  Cut into long thin slices, or thin rounds on the cross.  Beat the ingredients of the batter together, adding the water gradually (if desired add the tomato paste, which lends an orange colour to the fried courgettes).  Place 1 cup of flour in a separate  bowl.  Flour the slices of courgettes on either side, then dip into the batter.  Fry in plenty of hot oil until golden brown on both sides.  Remove with tongs and place on kitchen paper to drain.  Beat the crushed garlic and salt to taste into the yogurt.  Serve with the fried courgettes.  The courgettes should be served immediately to retain their crispness and full flavour.

RECIPE/ KABAK TAVA (2) / FRIED COURGETTES (2)(Serves 6)

3-4 medium courgettes

1 cup flour

For the batter:

1 cup wheat starch

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon red pepper

2 cups soda water

1 cup flour

To fry:

Sunflower oil

To garnish:

250 gr. Yogurt

2-3 cloves crushed garlic

Prepare the courgettes as in the first recipe above.  Beat the ingredients of the batter together well.  Flour the slices of courgette on either side, then dip into the batter.  Fry in hot sunflower oil until golden brown on both sides, remove with tongs, and place on kitchen paper to drain.  Beat the yogurt with the crushed garlic and salt to taste, and serve separately.

Source:  Timeless Tastes of Vehbi Koç Vakfı

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Gülderen Tuğcu

Regarding the “köfte”, Mr. Tuğrul Şavkay continues, “A curious discrepancy between these old and modern recipes is that some of the former omit breadcrumbs, whereas today it would be hard to find a köfte recipe without this ingredient as a binder. One exception is the köfte known as kadınbudu (lady’s thighs) in which boiled rice replaces breadcrumbs. In most of Turabi Efendi and Mehmet Kamil Bey’s köfte recipes readers are merely instructed to knead their minced meat well, which presumably dispenses with the need for a binding ingredient. Another common ingredient of köfte is egg, the yolk in particular appearing in many recipes as both a binder and contributor to flavour. Modern köfte recipes without egg are a rarity. The choice of spices is disputed by no one, and köfte invariably contains a combination of black and red peppers and cumin. Similarly, the inclusion of onion juice to give flavour is widespread, and emphasised even in the earliest recipes.” (To be continued)

RECIPE/ BADEMLİ VEYA ANTEPFISTIKLI PİLAV / PILAF WITH ALMONDS OR PISTACHIO NUTS (Serves 10)

4 cups large round grained rice
200 gr. unsalted blanched almonds
or pistachio nuts
4 tablespoons corn oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons sugar
5 cups chicken stock (1 whole chicken)
150 gr. butter

Clean and wash the chicken, then boil in salted water. If you like, add a whole carrot, whole onion, celeriac stalks, parsley stalks and bay leaves to the water to enhance the flavour. When the chicken is tender, strain the stock and use for making the pilaf.

Pick over the rice, place in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of salt and cover with hot water. Stand for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear. Drain. Place the corn oil into the rice saucepan and fry the nuts over a gentle heat until lightly colored. Remove with a strainer spoon. Add the butter to the oil and when melted add the rice. Stir over a medium heat until the grains stop sticking to the wooden spoon. Take care not to break the rice grains. Stir in the fried nuts, add the salt, sugar and boiling chicken stock. Stir once more, cover and turn the heat down low. Cook for about 15 minutes until steam holes form on the surface of the rice. Remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes. Stir carefully from the edges into the centre, cover and set aside for another 5 minutes. Garnish with tomato and parsley if desired.

Source: Timeless Tastes of Vehbi Koç Vakfı

Afiyet olsun! I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Gülderen Tuğcu

Regarding the “köfte”, Mr. Tuğrul Şavkay continues, “There exist some differences of opinion concerning the best kind of minced meat for köfte. Although in the past they were made solely of mutton, the tendency today, especially among housewives, is to mix equal quantities of beef and mutton, since the latter’s high fat content is regarded as excessive for modern tastes. Completely fat free meat on the other hand gives dry results, so the mixture is a compromise between modern dietary theory and longstanding tradition. Indeed the tendency had already emerged in the nineteenth century, since both Turabi Efendi and Mehmet Kamil Bey suggest that veal or beef may be substituted for mutton.” (To be continued)

RECIPE/ KUZU ETLİ ENGİNAR / ARTICHOKES WITH LAMB (Serves 8)

350 gr. lamb (from the shoulder or leg)
100 gr. butter
2 ½ cups hot water
1 small onion
6 large artichokes
1 teaspoon salt
½ bunch dill
To soak the artichokes:
8 cups water
1 heaped tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 lemon
Cut the lemon in half and rub your hands with one half. Holding the artichokes in your left hand cut away the stalk, outer leaves and centre, and rub well with lemon. Cut off all the hard sections of the leaves. Clean away any that remain in the centre with a small spoon and rub with lemon. Mix 8 cups of water, 1 heaped tablespoon of flour, ½ a teaspoon of salt and the juice of ½ a lemon in a bowl, and add each cleaned artichoke to prevent them discolouring. Peel the stalks and place those in the water as well. Melt the butter in a shallow saucepan, add the meat and fry briefly. Cover and cook over a moderate heat until the meat releases its juice, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup of hot water, cover and bring to the boil. Skim and cook over a low heat until the meat is tender. Peel the onion, cut in half and place in the saucepan with the meat. Remove the artichokes and their stalks from the bowl and cut each into four. Arrange the artichokes over the meat, placing them the right way up on the first layer and upside down on the second. Sprinkle with salt. Cut out a circle of greaseproof paper to fit inside the saucepan, pierce a few small holes, and place over the artichokes. Pour 1 ½ cups of water over, weight the paper down with a plate, cover and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and cook gently, adding more hot water if it begins to dry out. Unless you serve immediately, do not remove the cover, otherwise the artichokes will discolor. To serve, strain off the remaining liquid, and carefully slip the meat and artichokes upside down onto a dish. Pour over the liquid, sprinkle with chopped dill and serve hot.

Note: Cubed chicken breast may be substituted for lamb.

Source: Timeless Tastes of Vehbi Koç Vakfı
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