Eggplant Salad With Roasted Peppers

(Közlenmiş Biberli Patlıcan Salatası)

1 large eggplant, roasted
1 red Bell pepper, roasted
1 yellow or orange Bell pepper, roasted

Dressing:
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt
Pepper

Peel the eggplant, remove any hard seeds. After draining, cut into small pieces. Then, place the peppers in a paper bag for a few minutes so that you can peel off the skins more easily. Cut them in medium-sized pieces.

Place the roasted eggplant and peppers on a serving platter. Drizzle with the dressing. Serve with Creamy (Strained) Yogurt by the side.

Roasting the Eggplant:
Before putting the eggplant in the oven, make holes in it with a fork so that it will soften and cook better. Place it on an oven tray and roast for about 35 minutes on broil. Then peel it and soak it in 2 cups of water with juice of 1⁄2 lemon to prevent from turning dark. Leave it in the water for about 5 minutes. After draining, cut into small pieces. Alternatively, you can barbecue it until softened.

Roasting Bell Peppers:
Cut off the tops of the peppers. Discard the seeds. Cut each pepper in half. Set the oven to broil (grill), and heat it up. Place the peppers on an oven tray (inner side facing down) and place in the oven. Roast them for about 15 minutes and peel off the skin.

Alternatively, you can barbecue the peppers until softened. Just place the peppers with the outer side facing down on the barbecue.

Fıstıklı Dürüm / Fıstıklı Burma / Dolama Tatlısı / Fıstık Sarması / Burma Tatlısı

(Gaziantep)

Fıstıklı Dürüm:
454 g (1 lb) Phyllo Pastry (~20-22 sheets)
1 cup + 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
~1 cup Gaziantep pistachios, ground, to be measured after grinding

Syrup:
1 1/4 cups water
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

Thin oklava (Turkish thin rolling pin) or knitting needle 10.0 mm US 15

Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).

To prepare the syrup place the water and sugar in a medium-size pot. First bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Then simmer for 15 minutes and turn the heat off. Add lemon juice and place the syrup in another bowl so that it cools down quickly.

Take one sheet of Phyllo Pastry, lay it down on the counter with the short side in front of you. Sprinkle some pistachios over the phyllo and spread them gently with your hand. Place the oklava or knitting needle onto the phyllo pastry at the edge closest to you and start to roll it onto the rolling pin (picture). When you reach half of the sheet cut in two pieces with a sharp knife (picture), gently push the pastry from both ends toward the center to lightly wrinkle up. Then slowly pull out the pin. Place in an oven tray. Then do the same procedure for the second half of the sheet. Cut into 3-finger lengths. Finish all the pastry and place them on the oven tray. Using a tablespoon, pour the melted butter all over the pastries.

Place the tray on the middle rack. Bake until they turn a light golden colour.

Let them stand for about a minute. Then with a tablespoon pour the lukewarm syrup evenly all over the pastries. Keep them at room temperature for at least 2 hrs before serving.

*In 2013, Gaziantep baklava became the first Turkish product with a European protected designation of origin and geographical indication. Antep is also famous for its slender type of pistachios.

Türkiye produces two types of pistachios: Antep, which are the small, slim ones in brown shells from the area around Gaziantep in western Türkiye, and round, fatter nuts with pale beige shells from Siirt, in eastern Türkiye. The Antep pistachios are consumed both as a snack and as a major component in baklava and other sweets. The Siirt pistachios, on the other hand, are closer to Iranian pistachios in looks and flavor and sold mainly as a snack.