ASURE ( SWEET CEREAL- LEGUME PUDDING )

Hi all, this pudding is one of the most traditional and oldest of deserts in Turkey. It is made during the religious month of 'Kurban Bayrami.' About 10-15 ingredients go into this desert and the more ingredients we have, is the better.

Every household makes this pudding in large amounts and then distributed amongst neighbours and relatives. It is served when family and friends visit during bayram to celebrate the holy month.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup dovme ( wurled wheat )
• 1/3 cup small white dried beans
• 1/3 cup chick peas
• 4 tbsp rice
• 1/2 cup seedless raisins
• 1 small orange peel, chopped finely
• 1 small lemon peel, chopped finely
• water
• 5 dried figs, chopped into small pieces
• 6-7 dried apricots, chopped finely
• 1 packet of vanilla or 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp rose water
• cinnamon
• desiccated coconut
• walnuts
• hazelnuts
• pistachios
• pomegranate seeds.

First soak dovme, white beans and chick peas separately in plenty of water ,overnight. Wash them several times and boil them to cook separately. Then transfer all 3, into a large sauce pan. Add the rice, orange and lemon peel. Add water to the top, to cover the ingredients and bring it to boil. Turn the heat to medium, stir  it well and  simmer for 30 minutes. Add sugar and washed raisins  mixing thoroughly. Simmer for further 10 minutes. Add washed and chopped figs, apricots, vanilla  and boil for another 5-7 minutes. Rewove from heat and add rose water. Pour the pudding into individual desert bowls while it is hot. Then cool it. Sprinkle with cinnamon, then decorate and garnish with coconut, hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios and pomegranate seeds just before serving. Serves 10.

NARLI GULLAC ( GULLAC WITH POMEGRANATES )

Hi all, gullac is a very light and delicious desert, especially popular during Ramazan. It is made from starch, flour,  milk and poured over a large  hot pan (sac ) thinly and cooked dry, then packed away for later use. It is wafer like, fine, dry and round pastry leaves are the basis for  this delicate desert. Gullac dates back to ottoman period of Sultans and Pasa's, as favorite in the palaces. It gets its name gul, meaning rose. So using the rose water for this desert is a must.

YOU NEED

• 10 gullac leaves
• 1 litre of milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup pistachio nuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp rose water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 pomegranate, seeded

First heat the milk with sugar, rose water and vanilla. It has to be just warm enough to touch not very hot. Pour 1 cup of  milk into a large tray. Then place a gullac leaf in the tray making sure the leaf is completely soaked. Place the second leaf and some more milk to soak. Do the same with the third, forth and fifth leaf. Then spread the walnuts over it generously. Then continue to layer the milk and the remaining 5 leaves as above. Pour the rest of the milk mixture over the leaves to make sure no dry bits left. Then sprinkle the desert with chopped pistachios. Finally cut  the desert into diamond or square shapes and leave it in the tray for the milk to be absorbed totally for about  30-45 minutes.

Decorate with pomegranate seeds just before serving.

COOKS NOTE: It is best to use full fat milk for a special treat but it is just as nice with semi skimmed milk and less sugar to make it low calorie desert.