Turkish Moussaka (Patlıcan Musakka)

The moussaka, originally an Arabic dish, has been prepared and served in differing ways across the Middle East for centuries. However, it's the Greek version, modernized and de-Turkified in early 20th century, that is well known in America and, unfortunately, the only version one can find at restaurants. I say "unfortunately," because the Greek twist i.e., the Béchamel sauce on top, makes this already deliciously heavy dish way heavier than most of us can handle.

The classic Turkish moussaka consists of fried slices of eggplants, ground beef, tomatoes flavored with onion, garlic, sweet green peppers, tomato paste, and olive oil. However, there are many variations in the Turkish version as well: some use the more traditional lamb and some use chicken, an act I believe should be banned. Some add potatoes to eggplants (another bannable variation) and some use zucchini instead of eggplants.  What follows is, of course, an "almost" traditional Turkish recipe. What makes it almost is the kind of eggplant available in US and how we will prepare it.

The eggplant variety in Turkey that is used for this dish is similar to Italian or Holland eggplants, smaller and longer than the American or globe eggplants. The eggplants are peeled in stripes and cut in half an inch thick slices before deep fried for the classical version. The American eggplant makes giants slices, three or four of which would cover a whole dish. For this reason we will cube them instead of rounds. Fried eggplant is absolutely "the" best; however, it also is very heavy and greasy. Lately the dish is prepared by baking rather than frying. So these changes in preparation makes it an almost Turkish dish.

This is not a difficult dish to make; it's very forgiving. Yet, it's a time consuming one. However, it's so  very much worth the time and effort. I've been making moussaka for dinner parties and potlucks for years, and I've never ever had any leftovers.

serves 4-5
2 globe eggplants, cubed (peeling in stripes is optional)
1/2 lb ground beef
1 big onion, diced
5-6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
2-3 green or sweet peppers, sliced
2 tbsp tomato paste
3-4 tomatoes, petite decided or grated (or processed in the blender)
1/4-1/3 cup olive oil for eggplants + another 1/4 for the sauce
salt and black pepper
1/3 cup or more parsley, chopped


-Preheat the oven to 430-450 F.
-Put cubed eggplants in a bowl. Add salt and 1/4 or 1/3 cup olive oil. I love my olive oil and I use 1/3 or even more. Toss and mix well to make sure the cubes are covered in olive oil. Next, spread them over an oven tray layered with parchment paper or not. Bake until brown approximately for 20-25 minutes. Try to resist the urge to open the oven and check on them.
-Heat 1/4 cup olive oil on medium in a big pan or heavy bottom pot. Add ground beef and cook thoroughly until it releases its juice and soaks it back. While cooking crush the ground beef with the back of your spoon, wooden spoons work best for this. The ground meat should not be clumped at all.
-Add onion and peppers and cook on medium until soft but not browned.
-Add tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes stirring.
-Add crushed tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper.
-When the tomatoes are cooked, i.e., they changed into a darker red, add one cup of boiling water.
-Simmer for five minutes.
[We will finish the dish by baking so we need an oven proof dish.]
-If you are using a heavy bottom pot (I use a 3.6 qt casserole dish) for the sauce, you can just add baked eggplant cubes into it and mix.
    If you used a regular pan. Find an oven proof dish, place eggplants at the bottom and spread the sauce on top evenly. You can also place sliced tomatoes on top for a nice presentation.
-Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350-360 F.
-Sprinkle parsley on top and serve hot with rice and yogurt.

Tips: You can skip the oven part and just simmer for 10-15 minutes after you put together the eggplant and the sauce. But baking adds an incredible flavor to moussaka.

You can prepare the dish or the eggplants and finish it the next day.

If you want to make it traditional, fry the eggplant cubes until brown.

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Slow Cooked Beef Stew (Etli Güveç)

Güveç (Gue-vech) is a Turkish term that defines both slow cooked stews and the clay pot, glazed or unglazed, that they are cooked in, just like tagine. The stew could be vegetarian or with meat: chicken, beef, lamb, or goat. The vegetables used in this dish vary depending on the season it's made.

Traditionally the dish is prepared by layering the ingredients in an order that they will cook; meat at the bottom and tomatoes on top, and no water is added because the clay pot and its lid are sealed with dough so the delicious steam doesn't escape. And the güveç is cooked slowly for 1,5 - 2 hours in the wood fired clay oven that most houses had in their backyards in the past. After crackıng the dough around the lid, the stew would be served over rice with a nice loaf of bread and yogurt on the side. It's really hard to describe the deliciousness of meat and/or veggies cooked slowly in their own juices in a clay pot.   

As you can imagine, nowadays not many people have clay ovens in their backyards. Some people still keep the tradition by sending their güveç to either neighborhood bakeries or, in rare instances, to few existing güveç bakeries that specialize in baking güveç. However, most people who still fancy the dish and the clay pot, like my mom, cook it at home on regular stoves (most kitchens in Turkey feature small size ovens that would not accommodate the height of a clay pot). My mom prepares the dish in her half a century old clay pot which is almost black now rather than clay color due to the usage and love it got over the years. She still makes a small amount of dough to seal the lid to the pot and uses a heat diffuser that distributes the heat evenly so the pot doesn't crack.

I gave up on clay pots after I broke two in suitcases trying to bring them here to the States. So the following recipe is an authentic "almost" Turkish one, since I opt for a cast-iron pot instead.

It is completely up to you how much of what you will use in this dish. The tricky part is you cannot make a small batch because even if you add one of each vegetable they add up. So make the dish, get some bread and a good red wine and invite friends over. I usually make a very meaty stew, since my younger clientele is still quite picky about veggies, so they flavor their buttery rice with only meat and juice from the stew.

1 lb stew beef or lamb (You can use chicken as well, but I rather have it vegetarian than with chicken)
1 medium to big size onion, diced
7-8 cloves of garlic, peeled
a handful of green beans, or less, trimmed and cut into ~2 inch pieces
1 eggplant, peeled in stripes or not and cut in cubes
1 zucchini or summer squash, or both, cut in cubes (in Turkey they peel zucchinis, I don't.)
1 potato, peeled and cubed
3-4 peppers, shishito, sweet Italian, anaheim-if you like spicy, chopped (but never ever use American bell peppers, please!)
3-4 medium tomatoes, chopped or grated. You can use grape or cherry tomatoes as well, just halve them
1/2 cup water (because cast iron and I am not making dough to seal it)
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil
salt
1 tbsp tomato or pepper paste, optional (some add tomato or pepper paste for the color)
Parchment paper

-Take a biggish cast iron pot. Place meat at the bottom, and layer up the rest in this order: onion, green beans, couple of garlic cloves, eggplant, more garlic cloves, zucchini, garlic cloves, potatoes, peppers, and finally tomatoes.
-Mix salt and water and add to the pot. If you want to use tomato paste. Mix it in the water at this stage.
-Pour the olive oil evenly on top.
-Cover the top of the veggies with parchment paper tightly. We're cheating and using it in lieu of dough. Place a heavy plate on top; small enough to go in the pot but wide enough to cover as much of the surface as possible.
-Finally place the lid.
-Bring the stew first to a boil and then cook on low for 1,5 hours. Lamb cooks faster than beef. So cook for 1 hour for lamb and 1,5-2 for beef.

  

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Oven Baked Zucchini Fritters (Fırında Kabak Mücver)

Mücver, if you ask me, is "the" zucchini dish. It is usually fried and served with yogurt, especially garlicy yogurt on hot summer days (here is a link to  the fried version: recipe.) However, my mom always bakes mücver, because it is healthier and lighter. I devour them either way; however, baked mucver is also great the next day as a left over served cold. We have oven baked zucchini fritter as a snack for afternoon tea-time or sometimes for post-beach lunch with yogurt and dinner with salad on the side. The recipe is my mom's.



2-3 medium size zucchinis, grated (3 cups approximately), excessive water squeezed 
3 eggs
1/2 cup crumbled white cheese/ feta
1/3 or 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped or 3 tbsp dried mint flakes
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
1/3 cup dill, chopped
2-3 green onions, chopped
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup oil (sunflower, canola, corn, olive oil, etc)
~1 -  1 1/2 cups of flour
1 tbsp ground pepper or less
1 tbsp crushed pepper flakes (I think it adds a nice kick if you like spicy food)
salt (how much salt you need depends on how salty your white cheese is)

-Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
-Pour the mix in a well greased or parchment paper lined oven pan. It should be thin-ish layer, max 1- 1 1/4 inch. 
-Bake in a preheated oven at 380F for approximately an hour, until golden brown on top and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
-Have I mentioned it's good with yogurt on the side.

optional: sprinkle 1/2 to 1 cup of grated cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, etc) on top 5 minutes before it's done. This is great if you will finish it all that day. Cheese tends to get really hard when you have them as left overs.

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Turkish Breakfast on a Toast (Fırında Domates ve Peynirli Ekmek)

When I was a kid I loved having freshly baked steaming hot bread, but then who wouldn't. Also, having hot bread every morning in Turkey was and still is possible. People usually know when their neighborhood bakery takes out the new batch of bread. We went to the bakery around that time and they used to wrap the really hot bread in old newspapers. We would and still do cut the bread lengthwise and spread as much butter as it could hold and eat it. But then for mom the biggest challenge was to come up with creative ways to use stale bread. This recipe was my mom's way of making us consume stale bread. It was family favorite for breakfasts, brunches, or afternoon tea-times. Everything you expect from a Turkish breakfast is here on a slice of bread: tomatoes, feta cheese, olives, parsley, banana peppers, and eggs.

Must-haves of this recipe are stale "real" bread (never ever use any kind of wanna-be breads such as sliced toast bread variety or freshly baked "real" bread, since they both get really soggy with tomato juice. I prefer baguettes), fresh tomatoes, banana peppers, feta cheese, parsley, and an egg. The rest is up to you; you can add, remove, or modify the ingredients.

1 French baguette, sliced any way you want (I use French bread, because it tastes more Turkish to me than any other bread; however, you can also use sourdough, whole wheat, whole grain, etc.)
2 medium fresh tomatoes, petite diced
1 banana peppers or sweet Italian peppers, chopped (never use bell peppers)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup black olives, pitted and chopped (Turkish olives would be great but Kalamata would work just fine. No canned olives)
1 egg
1/3 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed pepper (optional)
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt (how much salt you will use depends on what kind of feta cheese you have; if it's a really salty one you may not even need salt)

-Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Place the tomato mixture on bread slices with a spoon. If the bread is "really" stale, use the juice from the bottom of the bowl to wet the top of the bread slice. Place the bread slices on a broiler tray
-There will be some juice left in the bowl. Put some on top of each slice
-Broil 6-7 inches below heat until slightly brown. Approximately 8-10 minutes

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Zucchini Salad with Yogurt (Yoğurtlu Kabak Salatası)

Zucchini salad with yogurt is a favorite summer time cold delicacy. It is served as a side dish at afternoon tea gatherings along with any kind of pogacas or filo dough pastries, or as a meze/appetizer at dinner. You can serve it with grilled meat or simply as a side to anything you want. I love this salad as lunch on toasted bread and sometimes with crumbled white cheese/feta on top. It is quite easy and quick to make and simply delicious. Even those who do not like zucchini enjoy this salad. In Turkish cuisine to have a zucchini dish without fresh dill or mint is unheard-of. For this salad it's common to use both fresh mint and dill. If you do not like one of them you can leave that one out, but only one. Zucchini salad has to have at least one fresh herb.

serves 4
3 medium size zucchini, coarsely grated (makes approximately 3 cups)
2/3 cup thick plain yogurt )enough to barely cover zucchini, not much)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves of minced garlic, depending on how much you like garlic
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1/8 cup or as much as you want fresh dill, finely chopped
1 tsp mint flakes or 1 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
salt

optional
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

-Grate zucchinis in a bowl. Squeeze grated zucchini by hand and drain excessive juice.
-Heat olive oil in a pan. Add zucchini and cook for 5-6 minutes or until wılted and tender stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool down.
-Mix yogurt, minced garlic and a pinch of salt well in a bowl.
-When zucchini cools down, mix zucchini, walnuts, dill, mint, salt, and the garlicy yogurt.
-Serve cold.

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Fava Beans à la Turque (Zeytinyağlı İç Bakla)

Fava beans, aka faba, broad, Windsor, or horse beans, are among the oldest cultivated plants. Although they've been planted and enjoyed in the Middle East, Europe, and South America for millenniums, favas took their sweet time to appear at American markets. I did not eat or try fava beans for the first 25 years of my life; yes, what a waste! In my defense mom cooked them in pods, in those slightly fuzzy pods.

As a kid it seemed like eating caterpillars! I am still reluctant about the pods. The shelled beans, however, are a different story. Fava beans are slightly sweet and have a mild grassy flavor fit for spring. In Turkey, when they're picked young and tender, without letting the beans grow much, they're cooked in pods and served with a gallop of garlicy yogurt on the side. When they're picked a bit later, when the shells and beans got bigger, they are shucked and the beans are peeled to remove the waxy coat. The schucking is easy and fast, and peeling the beans is a bit time consuming, yet totally necessary to perfect the dish. What follows is a traditional springtime olive oil dish recipe for fava beans.

1 pound fresh fava beans, shelled and peeled or 1 pound frozen fava beans (easily available at Middle Eastern markets)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
1/2 bunch of green onions, finely chopped
1/2 bunch dill, chopped
1 tsp white sugar
salt, a little more than 1 tsp
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup of water
1 tsp flour
juice of half lemon

-Before you peel the beans, mix 1 cup of water with flour and lemon juice. Place beans in the water one by one after peeling to prevent browning. If you boil the beans in water for 30 seconds and blench them it would be much easier to peel them.
-Heat half of the olive oil in a pot and add onions. Cook until soft. Don't let them brown--a big no for olive oil dishes.
-Add sugar, green onions, and garlic. Cook 1 minute or until garlic is fragrant.
-Add fava beans with the water they've been sitting in.
-Salt to your taste.
-Make sure the water covers the beans.
-Bring it to a boil on medium and then turn it down to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until beans are cooked.
-Let it cool down in its pot with the lid on before moving it to a serving dish.
-Favas in olive oil like all Turkish olive oil dishes are served and best when at room temperature or cold.
-Drizzle the other half of the olive oil on top and serve with chopped fresh dill.

This dish is usually enjoyed with a nice big slice of crusty bread and garlicy yogurt sauce, but it's still delicious without it.

Garlicy Yogurt
For every cup of yogurt use 1/2 clove minced garlic. If you can handle garlic, raise the amount. Do not go beyond 1 clove per 1 cup of yogurt; others may not handle the garlic on you. Mix yogurt and garlic well, salt to your taste, and serve this sauce on the side of fava beans or on top.

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Chicken in a Bag (Fırın Torbasında Tavuk)

I have hard to please young clientele at home when it comes to chicken. If it is served in any other form than  nuggets and tenders, they complain that it's chewy and implement famous 'whine and negotiate your way out of chicken' method, which doesn't necessarily work but helps them form into better negotiators. Finally, I won them over with my mom's chicken in a bag recipe; growing up this was our special Friday night dinner for many years during 1990s when oven bags were introduced to the Turkish market. Surprisingly, oven bags are still strong in Turkey. Chicken baked in a bag is the easiest and juiciest chicken recipe. You can marinade it ahead of time and bake it the day you need it. 40 minutes and viola! You need whole chicken legs, thighs, drumsticks, or wings--bonny and fatty parts of chicken. Chicken breasts are fine as well, but not as good as the dark parts.

enough chicken thighs, drums to fill a bag, ~2 lb
1 oven bag
juice of 2 lemons
paprika, enough to cover the chicken pieces, don't be stingy
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp or more dried oregano leaves, thyme, or rosemary
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced or sliced
salt

-Place the chicken in a big bowl and squeeze lemons on top. Make sure every piece is covered with lemon juice. If you don't like the chicken smell like me, lemon juice gives chicken a nice tangy flavor and helps with that smell. Add paprika generously, oregano, black pepper, garlic, and salt. Mix them well with chicken. Let marinate for at least half an hour before you bake. Do not forget, the longer you marinate it the more tender it will become. (You can marinade a night before and keep it in the fridge for the next day)
-Place an oven bag on a oven dish/tray so that its opening will be facing the side. Put marinated chicken pieces in the bag side by side. Close the bag with a twisty tie. Make a couple of small holes on top with a knife. Bake it in preheated oven at 400 F for 45 minutes.
-If you want a very crispy top, after 45 minutes cut the oven bag on top and broil the chicken for 5-10 minutes.
-After you put the chicken in the bag, if you still have room put a couple of potatoes (cut in halves) and carrots (chopped into two or three pieces). They will be very very delicious.
-Serve with salad, rice or any type of grain, mashed or baked potatoes, and/or greens.

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Roasted Beet Hummus (Pancarlı Humus)

In my first couple of years in the US, I couldn’t get over how popular hummus was in this country. I was surprised because hummus had managed to become popular despite how it was prepared and served: dense in texture and bland in flavor. It wasn’t anything like how we prepare and serve it—and Turks are not even the masters of it. Back home hummus is soft and airy in texture; light, lemony9, and spiced in flavor. It is served in shallow plates, never in deep bowls. You cannot be parsimonious with lemon juice, water, and olive oil; a good hummus needs them.

My experimentations with hummus have a lot to do with having kids. Realizing what a nutritious, not just delicious, snack it was I started adding or hiding colorful vegetables in hummus. Beets are just one of them and absolutely our family favourite. 

    

1 small to medium beet root

1 ½ cups cooked check peas

2 tbsp tahini

Juice of 1-1 ½ lemons

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup yogurt

Salt

4 tbsp olive oil (3 in and 1 for the top)

Water (even better cooking water from the chickpeas) as necessary

Optional

Paprika

Cumin

Sesame seeds

Nigella seeds

Parsley

-The Beet: Wash well and then cut the bottom and top parts of the beet root. Cut the beet into four or, if it’s a big one, 8 pieces. Toss with a little bit of olive oil, place on a parchment paper and bake for 45 minutes in a preheated oven at 400F. (Do not discard the stems and leaves if they came with those. Try this beet greens with olive oil recipe.)

-The Chickpeas: I always buy chickpeas in bulk, soak them in water overnight, and then boil them until cooked for 1-1 ½ hours. It is best to use them right when they’re warm since the skins will be soft and easy to be smoothened by the blender.

Most authentic way of making hummus requires peeling the skins off. I find it very time consuming and have figured out an easy way out; If you are using canned chickpeas, put them in a pot with water and boil for 5-10 minutes to soften the skin.

I take what I need and freeze the rest of the chickpeas in jars filled with 1-2 cups for later use.

-Put tahini, olive oil, and lemon juice in the blender and run until smooth.

-Add the beet (~1 cup) and blend.

-Add chickpeas, yogurt, and salt.  

-Add water to thin. Humus should be soft and fluffy. It most definitely should not be like a paste.

-Taste and add more lemon juice, salt, or water.

-Ways to serve: Hummus is usually served in a wide shallow bowl in Turkey, never in a dip bowl. For regular hummus, we usually heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil in a small pan. When it’s hot, before it burns, we add paprika and let sizzle for 5 seconds. Then pour it over the hummus on its serving plate. Chopped parsley is another way to serve it. Some people like to drizzle olive oil and sprinkle cumin powder on top—this is my least favorite. I like to serve beet hummus with chopped parsley or dill on top or with sesame or nigella seeds. All is delicious.

-Traditionally, hummus is scooped with bread/pita bread; however, it’s good with pita chips, crackers, and fresh vegetables.    

     

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