Making Turkish Etli Kereviz Dolması (Meat-Stuffed Celeriac) at Home

Two nights ago, I was the perfect Turkish housewife and cooked up a storm.

I made a herbed salad topped with nar (a version of Claudia’s toros salatası), a creamy celeriac soup, zeytinyağlı pırasa (leeks in olive oil) and finally Turkish etli kereviz dolması (meat-stuffed celeriac). I told my husband he better enjoy all this now before I start my Polish lessons because I doubt I’ll be cooking much then!

Last week, I fondly recalled the etli kereviz dolması that my friend enjoyed at Çiya when I wrote that blog post. I couldn’t stop thinking about that dish! I had some leftover ground lamb in the freezer, and I can easily find celeriac at the markets here in Warsaw. With that in mind, I bought a kilo of celeriac at the BioBazar this past weekend.

The only problem is that celeriac is a pain in the butt to clean, hollow out and stuff! I found this article on how to easily clean celeriac, which helped immensely. Then, I used a melon baller to hollow out the insides of my celeriac once they were cut in half. Be sure to use lots of lemon juice with the cleaned celeriac halves to prevent browning.

I chatted with my girlfriend in NYC via Skype for nearly an hour while I cleaned the celeriac! If anyone has an easier way to do so, please let me know.

Once the celeriac was cleaned, I had about 2 cups worth of celeriac pieces, so I decided to make a quick soup. I sautéd onion and garlic, added the celeriac pieces and cooked with about 1 quart of chicken broth. Later, I pureed the soup and seasoned with salt and pepper. Perfect first course to go with the salad!

Once the celeriac were stuffed and baking, I moved onto the next dish – zeytinyağlı pırasa. For this recipe, I used my handy Sultan’s Kitchen: A Turkish Cookbook. I often turn to this cookbook for inspiration when I’m at home.

While the etli kereviz dolması turned out delicious, I doubt I’ll be making this recipe anytime soon. I found it very tiresome scooping out the insides of the celeriac. But if you have the time someday, please do try my recipe and let me know how it turns out!

Afiyet olsun!

Turkish Etli Kereviz Dolması (Meat-Stuffed Celeriac)

Ingredients:
1          kilo                  celeriac (Note: mine were quite small, about 8 total)

200      grams               ground lamb or beef

1          ea.                    medium onion, chopped small or grated

½         cup                  flat-leaf parsley, chopped small

1          teaspoon          dried dill

50        grams               long-grain rice (about ¼ cup)

1          Tablespoon      nar ekşisi (pomegranate molasses)

To taste                       salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 ½      ea.                    lemon

As needed: butter and olive oil

Clean, peel and cut in half each celeriac. Using a melon baller or paring knife, hollow out the inside of each celeriac half. Immediately, place the celeriac in cold water with the lemon juice to prevent discoloration.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the ground meat, onion, herbs, rice, nar ekşisi, salt and pepper together for the stuffing.

Fill each celeriac with the stuffing mixture. Place in a large oven-safe cooking dish. Then, top a few with dollops of butter and drizzle with a little olive oil. Fill the dish with water about one-third of the way up the celeriac.

Cover and bake in a 350 F/175 C oven for 45 minutes or until the celeriac are tender. If you have larger celeriac, then you will need to increase your cooking time too. Alternatively, you could cook the celeriac in a pot fitted with a lid on your stovetop.

Note: we enjoyed this celeriac dish even more the next day when topped with a bit of garlicky yogurt.

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Cooking with Ozlem’s Turkish Table in Istanbul

It’s probably no surprise that I’ve taken my fair share of cooking classes as well as given them since I’ve been living here in Istanbul.

Last week, I met up with Ozlem Warren of London-based Ozlem’s Turkish Table here at the Istanbul Culinary Institute. Lucky me, I had the chance to learn some more Turkish recipes from her in person.

Last August, Warren and I met for the first time in person in Istanbul though we’ve both “known” each other through our blogs for nearly two years. You can see that old post here: Turkish Cooking with a Chef, Blogger.

Warren grew up in Antakya, a southeastern city in Turkey near the Syrian border, fell in love with a British man, moved away from Turkey but took her love of Turkish cuisine with her. In England, she teaches Turkish cooking lessons; and she often travels to Turkey to visit her family here.

In last week’s class, we learned how to make one of Turkey’s classic soups and one of my most favorite soups - Mercimek çorbası (lentil soup). You’ll find mercimek served on almost every menu across the country, and when it’s not, I often wonder why! We made Warren’s heartier version of the soup with chunks of carrots and potatoes, garnished with crispy croutons.

Mercimek çorbası and cacık (yogurt dip) at the end of the class.

Next, we had to get the kebab meat mixed together, which almost like making an American meatloaf but so much tastier. (My mother made meatloaf nearly every Sunday so I now hate meatloaf with a passion.) Warren’s version of fıstıklı kuzu köfte kebab (lamb kebabs with pistachios) was packed full of flavor from the ground pistachios, pul biber, cumin, parsley and black pepper.

Warren told us that in the Gaziantep area, minced meat is prepared by chopping it into the size of wheat grains with a special curved bladed knife called a zirh. She said hand chopped meat has a lot more flavor than machine ground meat since the meat retains a better texture.

Warren mixes the lamb and spices together for the kebabs.

Our finished lamb kebabs served with our roasted veggies over Turkish flat bread.

We also roasted a large tray of veggies coated in olive oil and the spicy Turkish biber salcası (red pepper paste). Turks liberally use this paste in everything, but I never seem to quite empty a small jar before mold starts growing. Now, I know how to jazz up my roasted veggies.

Finally, for dessert, we prepared the single most important Turkish dessert – in my opinion. Most people probably first think of baklava, but for me, künefe wins hands down every time!

This was when Warren asked her mother, who was in attendance, to come and help her with the künefe. Her mother was very sweet, and stood next to Warren, telling her instructions. Mother and daughter have a little trick to make künefe even more decadent by adding chunks of Turkish kaymak with the special unsalted, creamy shredded white cheese. Sooo delicious!

Warren and her mother making Turkish künefe for the class.

You must layer the kaymak and cheese on top of the butter-soaked shredded phyllo strands.

Warren said she remembers her grandmother cooking the künefe out in her stone oven in the garden in Antakya. I’d be standing right next to my grandmother too if I knew hot künefe was coming out of the oven!

Another trick I learned is that the künefe needs to be hot while the sugar syrup must be cooled down when it is poured over the whole dessert. This technique helps prevent the dessert from getting soggy.

 All in all, the class was another lovely night in Istanbul. I’m happy I have some new Turkish recipes to add to my cooking repertoire.

Afiyet olsun!

 

Here is Warren’s Hearty Red Lentil Soup Recipe as well as her recipe for Lamb Kebabs with Pistachios on Flat Bread.

An amazing casserole dish filled with sweet Turkish künefe.

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Turkish Lamb and Bean Güveç

It’s been a long while since I made a proper Turkish güveç.

If you remember, a Turkish güveç is a casserole cooked in a special earthenware dish. In some ways, this Turkish dish is similar to the American casserole where you throw together some vegetables, meat, spices and perhaps a starch like potatoes or rice all in a pot. You let the pot slowly simmer to allow the meat to get tender and the juices to mingle.

The güveç is a perfect winter dish, but it’s one that’s also enjoyed all year round particularly during our visits to Cappadocia.

I don’t normally eat lamb, but I decided to try making a lamb güveç for my husband. This involved a trip down to my friendly butcher guys at Kardeşler Kasabı in Beşiktaş where I asked for kuzu boyun (lamb neck) as recommended from a friend.

Clearly, my butcher was not happy with that choice as he shook his head. “Az et. Ne yapıyorsunuz?” (Little meat. What are you making?)

I explained in Turkish that I wanted to make kuzu etli kuru fasülye güveç (lamb with white beans casserole).

My butcher went into the meat walk-in and came back out with kuzu kol (lamb shoulder) and told me this cut was much better.

Who am I to argue with my butcher? I think he’s a saint for putting up with this yabancı. I even brought them a batch of chocolate-mint cookies for New Year’s for being so kind to me all the time.

Well, you may not have an amusing scene with your butcher like I did, I promise this lamb güveç will melt in your mouth and warm your belly.

Afiyet olsun!

Turkish lamb & bean güveç  served in individual clay güveç dishes.

Turkish Lamb and Bean Güveç/(Kuzu Etli Kuru Fasülye Güveç)

(Adapted from “The Sultan’s Kitchen” by Ozcan Ozan)

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

2          oz.                   unsalted butter

1          T.                     Turkish olive oil

1          ea.                    large onion, diced

4-6       ea.                    garlic cloves, chopped

3          ea.                    carrots, medium diced

1          lg.                    potato, medium diced

1          kilo (2.2 #)       lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes (kuzu kol kuşbaşı)

1          400 g.              can of diced tomatoes

1          large can          white beans or 2 cups dried white beans soaked overnight, drained

1          T.                     tomato paste

1          tsp.                  ground cumin

1          tsp.                  pul biber (optional)

2          cups                 beef/lamb stock or water

2          cups                 green peppers, sliced (4-5 dolma biber)

TT                                salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.         In a large, heavy casserole dish, heat the butter and oil. Add the onions and garlic. Sweat the vegetables until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

2.         Next, add the carrots, potato and lamb. Cook for several minutes until the lamb is browned. (I added the lamb bones too for extra flavor.)

3.         Then, add the tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, spices, beef stock or water. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes-1 hour. While cooking, check to see if you may need to add more liquid.

4.         If you used dried beans, the casserole will need about another hour to cook the beans until they are tender. If you want, you can transfer the pot to the oven and continue cooking at 350F/175C.

5.         Since I used canned beans, I just added the green peppers towards the end of the 1 hour and let cook for 5-10 minutes.     

6.         Serve the güveç with chopped parsley and rice pilaf on the side.

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Happy Easter From Istanbul!

This weekend, many of our friends and family members are celebrating Easter with large dinners, chocolate bunnies and colored eggs.


Why should they have all the fun when we are thousands of miles away?


So we decided to celebrate Easter at home in Istanbul and share some of the holiday traditions with my husband's Turkish colleagues.


Celebrating holidays abroad isn't always easy. See last year's Thanksgiving Challenges post. But we're pretty good sports and make the best of everything as often as we can. 


First, I bought some Easter decorations and Greek egg-coloring kits from this small shop near the Ramada Hotel called Hobby Dekorasyon in the Pangaltı neighborhood. Thanks to another friend's recommendation, I found this shop. The staff is helpful, and the prices are reasonable. 

Second, I bought some Easter chocolates from Kahve Dunyasi. I'm surprised to see how many of the pastry and chocolate shops here in Istanbul are currently stocked full of Easter candy. Somehow, this traditional Christian holiday has worked its way into the Turkish world here. I'm guessing people are just partaking in the commercial aspect of  Easter and it's something fun for the kids to do.


Thirdly, we had to go to my friendly butcher guys at Kardeşler Kasabı in Beşiktaş and explain that we wanted a kuzu incik (lamb shank) to feed 8 people. But my version of a lamb shank and their version differed. 


So through our broken Turkish and some hand gesturing, my butcher just brought out the whole hind quarters of a male lamb. We just pointed out what part of the lamb we wanted and we got a beautiful 2.2 kilo leg of lamb. I can't imagine EVER getting this kind of service in the U.S.!


Jason found this cinnamon-cardamom infused recipe for Braised Lamb Shanks with Swiss Chard. He was in charge of making the lamb while I made hot cross buns, bulgur pilaf, my macaroni and cheese casserole, roasted carrots and potatoes with mint, parsley, dill and rosemary; and for dessert, individual ramekins with sour cherry clafoutis. We had a busy afternoon!

Our braised lamb shank about halfway through the cooking process.

But we got to share this delicious Easter dinner with Jason's Turkish colleagues and chat over wine. Then, we had fun coloring and dyeing Easter eggs.

Our Easter dinner table spread at home in Istanbul.

Happy Easter wherever you are!


Where to find seasonal and holiday decorations in Istanbul:

• Hobby Dekorasyon, Kurtuluş Cad. No:30 in Pangaltı, Sisli

Guess what we're having for breakfast for the next couple of days?

Our friend, Sinan, made Rastafarian-colored Easter eggs.

We used crayons to color silly faces and designs on the eggs before we dyed them.

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Day 2: Exploring Cappadocia, Turkey & Ihlara Valley

We woke up to a cold and dreary Saturday morning in Göreme. Temperatures started out in the upper 30s F, so we dressed in several layers of warm clothing.

After showering and getting ready, we enjoyed an open buffet of many Turkish breakfast items in the Kelebek Hotel. I partook in the traditional breakfast and ate black and green olives, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, three kinds of Turkish cheese, bread and a mandarin orange.

Fully nourished, Jason and I headed outside to join a group for the “Explore and Hike Tour” we had arranged through Heritage Travel, which is also owned by the Kelebek Hotel. After an initial bus mixup, we met the group at Göreme Panoramic View Point, just southeast of the village. We quickly took a few photos of the landscape and then returned to the bus.

We had about an hour drive ahead of us to reach our first hiking destination in the Ihlara Valley. Our friendly tour guide told us about the history of Cappadocia and gave us a geography lesson on Turkey along the way. He told us the current spelling of Cappadocia translates to “land of beautiful horses.” However, the earliest record of the area, dating from the late 6th century BC, states the old Persian name was Katpatuka.

I enjoyed just being able to look outside and enjoy the passing scenery. It was harvest time in Cappadocia. The farmers were out in full force harvesting their potatoes and pumpkins. We passed several tractors and horse-drawn wagons on the road; I almost felt like I was back in Nebraska.

At approximately 11 a.m., our group of 14 started the highlight of our day, a 7 km (approx. 4 miles) hike in the spectacular Ihlara Valley, which boasts the deepest gorge in Asia Minor. Our hike would take us along the Melendiz River, which has carved an impressive canyon through the valley over time. This valley was once home to monks who instructed Christianity in cave churches – similar to the dwellings we had seen the previous day in the Göreme Open Air Museum.

We climbed down several flights of stairs and then we had to maneuver down several large boulders to get down to the lush valley’s floor. The distance from the top to the floor is about 150 meters or 500 feet. Several women in our group were not wearing appropriate hiking shoes (ie: high heels) and slowed us down several times. Seriously?

During our two-hour hike following the river, we passed many ancient cave dwellings, Russian olive trees, green moss, poplar trees in their full autumnal splendor, wild raspberry bushes, and several Byzantine rock chapels decorated with frescoes. The river paints the valley beautiful shades of red, green and brown in autumn. It was a peaceful trek filled with moments of conversation among the group here and there.

Another interesting thing we saw was the ancient pigeon houses. The cave dwellers carved these houses into the rocks. Our guide told us the pigeons served three functions: as a messenger for communication, the droppings were used as fertilizer for crops and the egg shells were crushed and mixed to make the plaster for the cave walls.

About the halfway point, we stopped to check out the small Agacalti Kilisesi (The Church under the Tree). Although there are several churches in the valley, this one has the best preserved painted frescoes.

We ended the hiking portion of the tour near the Belisirma village, where we had lunch in a quaint riverside restaurant. Obviously, this restaurant sees tour groups all the time. Our server brought out a large tray with several platters that we could choose from and took the group’s order. Jason and I both selected the et güveç (meat casserole) served with bulgur. This was the first time I actually ate traditional güveç, which was a hearty dish served in a clay baking dish.

We also were served Turkish red lentil soup, a salad and fresh mandarin oranges for dessert.

After lunch, we got back on the bus, drove a little ways and stopped at the biggest rock-cut monastery in Cappadocia called the Selime Monastery and Cathedral. The site dates back to the 13^th century when monks carved out the large church, living quarters, a large kitchen and stables for animals.

The monastery was my husband’s favorite site. Once again, the views were breathtaking! We were able to climb through the caves on our own for about 20 minutes. It was not always an easy climb, but it was worth it to see this fascinating piece of world history.

Our next destination was the former Greek village of Güzelyurt, where Greeks lived until the 1923 population exchange between Turkey and Greece. Here, we stopped to visit one of the oldest churches in Cappadocia – Güzelyurt Analipsis Church – which had been converted into a mosque.

The old pulpit was saved in this church in Güzelyurt.

On the way back to Göreme, we made one final stop in Uçhisar to take pictures of Pigeon Valley, aptly named for the many pigeon houses or dovecotes carved into the cliffs. By this point, I was exhausted and had fallen asleep for a little while during the drive.

An evil eye tree in Cappadocia.

After our long tour, we rushed back to the hotel for our first hamam (Turkish bath) experience followed by an intense anti-stress massage. The bath was interesting and relaxing. You can read more about this Turkish tradition here.

We relaxed back in our room with a cocktail and played a few rounds of pounce, a solitaire-like card game. For dinner, we decided to stay in and eat at the hotel. It was almost 9 p.m. and the place was empty. We assumed everyone had eaten at the hotel the previous night because of the rain and were out exploring the town instead.

We ordered two Turkish mezes to start – çacık yogurt dip and eggplant salad. For entrees, we ordered  tavuk köfte and roasted lamb shank. The food was simple, but delicious.

With full bellies, we crashed in our room and fell asleep early since we had more hiking planned for Sunday in Cappadocia.

Nighttime view of Göreme from our hotel in Cappadocia, Turkey.

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