Green Pea Stew with Beef (Etli Bezelye)

Green pea stew is one of the most common stews in Turkish cuisine. It was usually made in the summer months when the peas are in season and deliciously fresh. However, with freezers becoming staple households people start to pod them and freeze for the winter months. And, no, canned peas are really not a thing in Turkey. The green pea stew is made in three different ways: vegetarian, with ground meat (it's waste of peas if you ask me), and with stew beef. When it is made in the summer, the stew is usually accompanied by cacık, yogurt mixed with minced garlic, grated cucumbers, fresh dill, a bit of olive oil and water, a sauce similar to tzatziki). However, it's good with just plain yogurt as well.

1/2 lb stew beef
1 lb fresh podded green peas (you can use frozen peas as well)
2 carrots, diced or halved about 1/3 or 1/4 inch thick
1 big or two medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, diced (I love red onions in stews, but any kind is fine)
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
3 tomatoes, grated or diced (fresh tomatoes or great but 1 can diced tomato would do as well)
1 tbsp tomato paste and 1 tbsp pepper paste (available at Middle Eastern stores-if you cannot find it double the amount of tomato paste)
1/2 bunch fresh dill, finely chopped
3-4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

-Heat olive oil in a cast iron pot or a heavy bottom pot on medium heat. Add stew beef and cook until it releases and absorbs its juice-approximately 15-20 mins.
-Add onions and garlic and cook 5 minutes.
-Add carrots and tomato&pepper pastes and stir for another five minutes.
-Add tomatoes (or canned tomatoes if you're using them) and bring to a boil.
-Add potatoes, peas (see the note below), 1/3 of the fresh fill and hot water just enough to cover them all.
-Salt and pepper to your taste.
-Once it boils, cover and simmer on low for an hour.
-Sprinkle the remaining fresh dill on top and serve with white or brown rice or a crusty wholesome bread.

Note: I love using fresh peas. I buy them in pod from a local market and pod them or buy them fresh and podded (I like Trader Joe's Fresh English peas!) But you can definitely use frozen peas as well. If so, add them to the stew half an hour before you turn it off.

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Fava Bean and Pea Salad (İç Bakla ve Bezelye Salatası)

1 lb fresh fava beans in pod
1/2 lb fresh peas in pod
3 green onions, finely chopped
~1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
~1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
~1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
~1/3 cup crumbled feta (optional)
dressing
juice of one lemon
4-5 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced (optional)
-Pod and boil fava beans in salted water for 2-5 minutes. The cooking time depends on the freshness of the beans. Blanch and poke the skin to squeeze the beans out. This is time consuming, and if you ask me not worth it. Some people find fava skins to be bitter, but I don't. If anything skins make the salad a bit chewy and that is fine. So, I leave them on.   

-Pod the peas and use them as is or boil them in salted water for a couple of minutes and blanch.
-Mix beans and peas with all the greens. 
-Add cheese (Although I've never had this salad with white cheese in Turkey, I think beans&peas are great with white cheese.)
-Again, usually in Turkey this salad is served with a simple lemon juice+olive oil+salt dressing. I add a clove of garlic to the traditional dressing. 

There's absolutely nothing written in stone; you can use more or less of anything or add red peppers, arugula, or even pickles. For example, usually this salad is made with stirred onions in Turkey, but I prefer freshness of green onions to stir fried ones.

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Green Peas (Bezelye)

1 pound of frozen or fresh green peas
2 tomatoes, diced / grated or 1 can of diced tomato
2 carrots, chopped in half-rounds
1/2 belle pepper or two banana peppers, chopped
1 medium size potato, diced
1/4 cup oil (olive, corn, vegetable, or butter)
2 tbsp tomato or pepper paste
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups of hot water
salt
dill or parsley

-For this recipe you don't have to cook anything beforehand. Put the onions, green peppers, carrots, potatoes, green peas, and tomatoes on top of each other in a pan in this order.
-Stir the tomato/pepper paste in hot water, and pour it on to vegetables.
-Add oil, salt, and pepper.
-Cover and cook on low heat for half an hour.
-Garnish with dill or parsley.

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