TENDER LAMB AND AROMATIC RICE WRAPPED IN AUBERGINES(kuzulu pilav, patlican sarmasi)

This is a wonderful dish from Central Turkey. It takes some time to prepare but your quests will be impressed at a dinner party. Traditionally the sliced aubergines fried in oil but I grilled them today which worked very well and it was lighter than the original recipe.

YOU NEED

• 2 aubergines, sliced thinly
• olive oil for brushing
• sprinkle or salt
• 250-300 g lean, tender lamb pieces
• 2- 3 tbsp oil or butter
• 1 large onion, chopped finely
• 2 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme or pinch of dried thyme
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• hot water
• Half a cup of washed rice
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup of hot water

METHOD

1) Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil on both sides, sprinkle with salt and grill under preheated grill, on the top shelf for 20 minutes turning once. Grease a non stick dip pan, 15 cm wide and 6 cm deep. Arrange slice of aubergines all round the pan and at the bottom of the pan as shown above. Set aside.

2) Chop the lamb in to small cubes, Saute the onion in oil first then add the meat and cook until brown. Add the garlic, thyme and tomato pure. Add enough hot water to cover the meat and bring it to boil. Place the lid and let the meat simmer for about 30- 35 minutes. Add little more hot water if the meat is drying out.

3) Add rice, parsley, mixed spice salt and ground black pepper to the meat. Add one cup of water to cover the rice and meat mixture. Bring it to boil then simmer for about 7 minutes until. The rice still should be mushy and half cooked. Turn the heat off.

4)Transfer meat and rice mixture in the pan with prepared with aubergine slices. Then over lap the slices and cover the the meat and rice mixture completely, wrapping the filling. Pour half a cup of hot water gently and bring the pan to boil.

5) Then turn to heat to very low and steam the dish for 15 minutes with lid on. Let it rest for 10-20 minutes before turning it over to a serving plate. Decorate with parsley leaves.

EDIRNE AND SELIMIYE MOSQUE

On our travels from England through Europe to Turkey, we stopped at the border town of Edirne where my brother lives with his wife and two sons. We spent delightful 3 days there with lots of historical sites to visit and places of interest to see. The biggest and most magnificent site was SELIMIYE CAMII ( mosque ) which was designed and built some 500 years ago by great arketect MIMAR SINAN. It was his second and the biggest mosque which he built after the AYASOFYA CAMII IN ISTANBUL. 

The train is the museum piece in the grounds of the university which was the first station in Turkey from Bulgaria.

During our stay in Edirne, we had a lovely meal by the riverside restaurant under the palm trees. We had all kids of starters called MEZE then lovely lamb dish which is boiled with some garlic and herbs first then cooked in the wood fire oven with fresh peppers and tomatoes.  The evening was wonderful and it was a great 3 days to remember.

TURKISH LAMB WITH ROSEMARY & THYME ( Biberiye ve kekikli kuzu)

Hi ALL , this is an all in one dish which is filling and nutritious. It is best cooked slowly but you can achieve equal results using the pressure cooker if you are in a hurry.

The above pictures show 2 versions of the dish. One with added beans, the other with new potatoes. My family love them both.

Serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS

300 g lean lamb chunks

1 tbsp olive oil

400 g fresh tomatoes, about 6-7 medium, cut in large chunks

200 g onions, about 2 large, chopped

2 fat cloves of garlic, left whole

75 g leeks, green bits, chopped

100 fresh peppers ( i used yellow ones )

200 g white beans or new potatoes,

2 tbsp Rosemary and thyme, chopped finely

Salt and black course pepper to taste.

METHOD

Heat the oil in the pan and brown the meat, add tomatoes onions, garlic, cover and cook very slowly for about an hour or until the meat is soft. Then add the beans, leeks, peppers and herbs and cook further 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables cook to your taste. Season with salt and black pepper, sprinkle more herbs just before serving.

COOK'S TIP

Cooking time with pressure cooker is 15 minutes for the meat then 5 more minutes to finish it off with the vegetables.

You can also cook this dish with chicken or beef rather than lamb to suit your taste.