YAHNI ( lamb and chickpea stew )

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 a kg lamb pieces with bones
• hot water
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1-2 clove of garlic, chopped
• 150- 200 g   pearl onions, peeled and left whole.( OR 2 large onions, cut coarsely )
• 2 cups of cooked chickpeas
• 1 tbsp pepper paste or tomato paste
• fresh rosemary and parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste.

1) Place lamb in a pan and add water to cover the meat. Bring it to boil then simmer with lid on for 20- 30 minutes. Take off the heat, scoop the meat onto a plate and set aside to cool. Leave the meat stock in the pan.

2) Peel the pearl onions. Fry them in the oil until the onions are lightly  browned. Set aside.

3) When the meat is cool enough to handle, take all the bone out and add the meat in the pan with the onions. Stir and add the pepper paste .

4) Transfer the meat  into the pan with meat stock. Add the chick peas, garlic, tomato paste, rosemary and parsley. Bring it to boil. Add more water if needed to cover the meat. Lower the heat and simmer the mixture for further 10- 15 minutes or until the meat is soft. Add the pearly pre fried pearl onions, stir and take off the heat.

5) Season with salt and ground pepper just before serving. Serve with rice.

EASY POTATO KOFTES ( Kolay patates koftesi )

These vegetarian  koftes are ideal for entertaining or for a quick snack when hungry. It takes 10- 15 minutes to prepare in total. Serves 2.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium potatoes, about 300 g peeled and diced 
• 1/2 a cup fine bulgur ( fine cracked wheat ), about 50 g
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 tbsp olive oil or little less if you are cutting down on fats
• 3 spring onions, chopped finely
• 2 level tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or 1/2 tsp dried herbs
• salt and black pepper

1) Boil the diced potatoes in salted water until cooked. Drain and set aside.

2) In a separate bowl pour boiling water over the bulgur, cover and let it rest for 5 minutes until all the water absorbed.

3) Mash the potatoes, add soaked bulgur, tomato paste, spring onions, olive oil, parsley, spices, salt and pepper. Mix well together to bind.

4) Take a walnut size of the mixture and shape it like little sausages. 

5) Transfer the koftes on a serving plate and sprinkle with chopped spring onions. Serve them  with salad of your chose. I served mine with : red cabbage, celery and parsley salad.

MEAT AND RICE FILLED PEPPERS ( kiymali dolma )

YOU NEED

• 1/2 kg peppers
• 250 g lean steak mince
• 1 -2 tbsp oil
• 1 cup  of rice
• 2 onion
• bunch of fresh parsley
• salt, black pepper
• 2-3 tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• some water
• little oil 
• extra tomatoes, sliced,  to use them as lids  for  the peppers.

First wash the peppers and take the stalks out by cutting around them and pushing them inwards with your thumb. Then prepare the filling. Place the mince into a dip dish, add the washed rice, oil. Chop the onions finely and dice the tomatoes, adding the  chopped parsley in to the mince and rice mixture.  Some salt and black pepper to taste and then mix it all together to bind it. 

Stuff each pepper loosely with the mixture( about 1 -2 table spoonful each pepper) making sure to leave room for  rice to expand. if we stuff the peppers too much the rice wont cook through. Cut the tomatoes into small round shapes to cover the peppers like a lid. Then transfer the peppers to a dip pan and add some water to cover up to half way of the peppers. Mix the tomato puree in some water and pour it over the peppers making sure the water covers the peppers at this stage.  Drizzle some oil over the peppers then, put the pan on a high heat and bring it to boil. Then turn the heat to low and let it cook slowly for 25-30 minutes until it is cooked. When cooked, transfer it to a serving plate  and use the juices as sauce for the peppers. Afiyet olsun...

COOK'S NOTE

In Turkey we prefer the small, thin skinned  peppers  for  this dish. The measurements above are for small peppers. If you are using larger, firm flesh capsicums you need to use more stuffing per pepper.

Please see my post for ETLI DOLMA, on 18- Nov- 08. made with CAPSICUM PEPPERS.

LEEKS WITH CARROTS ( Havuclu pirasa)

INGREDIENTS

• 300 g leeks, about 3 medium size
• 100 g carrots, 2 medium
• 1 medium potato
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp mix spice
• Dash of soy sauce
• Juice of half a lemon
• Handful of parsley, chopped
• 300 ml water or vegetable stock
• Salt and black pepper

METHOD

First wash and chop leeks, carrots and the potato into small cubes. Heat the oil in the pan and add the leeks. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Tip in the carrots, potatoes and garlic. Add tomato puree, sugar, spice, soy and lemon juice. Pour stock or water and bring it to boil. Add parsley, salt and simmer gently for 10- 15 minutes until the vegetables cooked but still crunchy. Serve it with more parsley and lemon wedges. Serves 2.