Eggplant with Lamb

(Etli Patlican)

1 medium-size eggplant, peel the eggplant in lengthwise strips. Cut in medium size. Soak in 2 cups of water with salt for about 20 minutes
1/2 cup sunflower oil

~300 g lamb, cut in bite size
2 tbsp butter
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
2-3 green onions, chopped
1 cubanelle pepper, cut in bite size
1 large tomato, peeled, diced
2 tbsp crushed tomato, canned
3/4 cup warm water
Salt
Pepper

Squeeze the eggplants with your hand and dry them with paper towel. Fry the eggplants on both sides until light golden colour. Afterwards, place on a paper towel to absorb any extra oil.

Meanwhile cook the the lamb cubes with their own juice. Add the butter, garlic, green onion, cubanelle pepper, tomato, crushed tomato, salt and pepper, stir. Cover and cook for about 7-8 minutes at low heat. Then add the eggplants and warm water. Cook for about 10 more minutes at low heat. Turn the heat off.

Serve the Eggplant with Lamb a Pilaf and Cacık on the side.

2 servings.

Pilaf with Ground Beef

(Kiymali Pilav)

150g medium ground beef
1 small onion, sliced
2-3 tbsp canned crushed tomato
1/2 cup rice, rinsed, drained
3/4 cup mixed vegetables (carrot, kernel corn, green beans, sweet beans), frozen
1/2 cup warm water or beef broth
1 tbsp butter
Salt
Pepper

Garlic Yogurt Sauce:
1/2 cup plain Yogurt, at room temperature
1-2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt

Saute the onion, ground beef, salt and pepper in a medium-sized skillet at medium heat until the colour of ground beef turns light brown. Add the remaining ingredients, stir. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice absorbs all the water.

Serve with Garlic Yogurt Sauce.

2 servings.

Lohusa Sherbet

(Lohusa Şerbeti)

3 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
5 drops of red food colour

Place all the ingredients in a medium cooking pot. Turn the heat down to medium-low and bring to boil.

Turn off the heat after the sweet smell of cinnamon and cloves was spread into the house. Serve it as hot in the winter or after cooling in the fridge in the summer.

Childbirth Sherbet is a traditional Turkish sorbet at birth, served hot or cold depending on the season. It is sent to the homes of the relatives and friends and also offered to the guests. It is served with walnuts on the side.

To indicate the sex of the baby, red ribbon is tied to the throat of a pitcher if it is a boy, or a red painted fine muslin is tied to the mouth part of the pitcher if it is a girl:)

It is advised that the new mother should drink it as much as possible since it increases lactation and makes it more tasteful.

Meatball-Potato Casserole

(Firinda Kofte Patates)

Kofte Ingredients:
~450 g (1 pound) medium ground beef
1 slice of Turkish bread (French or Italian), soak into the milk,
squeeze out excess milk
1 egg
1 small onion, grated
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Salt
Pepper

Tomato Sauce:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 1/2 cup diced tomato, canned
Salt
Pepper

1/4 cup sunflower oil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 medium sized yellow potato, peeled, sliced in round shape
2-3 cubanelle pepper, each sliced in 2 or 3
1-2 tomato, sliced in round shape

Kneed all the kofte ingredients. Dust the both sides with flour. Heat up sunflower oil in a pan. Fry both sides 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Put them on paper towel to soak extra oil.

Oil the bake dish with 2 tbsp olive oil. Place potatoes on it. Arrange fried koftes on the potatoes. Place tomato slices and cubanelle peppers on koftes.

In the meantime, prepare tomato sauce; Saute the onion with olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, when the smell comes out add the tomato, salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 more minutes then pour the sauce all over the koftes.

Preheat the oven 375 F (180 C). Cook for about 35-40 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender. Serve Kofte in Tomato Sauce with Turkish yogurt and bread.

3-4 servings.

Turkish Lamb-Eggplant Pasta

(Kıymalı-Patlıcanlı Makarna)

2 servings of mini bow tie pasta

1 medium-sized eggplant- peel alternating strips of skin lengthwise, cut in medium-sized chunks and soak in 2 cups of water with salt for about 15 minutes, squeeze, and dry them with a paper towel
1 tbsp + 1 tbsp butter
~
1/2 cup sunflower oil for frying

~200g lean ground lamb
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
1 small-sized tomato, peeled, cut in small cubes
2-3 tbsp crushed tomatoes, canned
1 tsp fresh dill, chopped
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (red pepper flakes)
Salt
Pepper

Yogurt Sauce:
1 cup Turkish yogurt, plain, room temperature
1-2 garlic cloves, mashed with yogurt

Boil the pasta with salty water following the instructions on the package, drain. Melt the butter in a pot. Toss the pasta and salt in it.

Fry the eggplants until golden brown. Then, place on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil. Place them in an oven-proof dish.

Saute the onion with 1 tbsp butter, salt and pepper for 2-3 minutes at medium heat. Add the ground lamb and cook at medium-low heat until all the water evaporates while stirring. Add the tomato, crushed tomatoes, fried eggplants, crushed red pepper and dill, stir. Cook for about 2-3 more minutes, turn the heat off.

Place the noodles on a serving platter and top with the cooked ground lamb&eggplant mixture. Mix all the Yogurt Sauce ingredients and pour all over the ground lamb. Garnish with some parsley and serve immediately.

2 servings.