Casseroles and Stews

Eggplant (aubergine) Pot Stew and Beautiful Winter Frost at Wisley Gardens – Patlicanli Tencere Kebabi

By Ozlem Warren on December 10, 2010 in Casseroles and Stews, Uncategorised 1

This is one of my favourite stews – or as we call in Turkish, Pot Kebabs, “Tencere Kebabi”. The marriage of sweet, meaty aubergines with the delicately flavoured shallots (and lots of it) is divine; you hardy need the meat to add extra flavour (You may try excluding the meat for a delicious vegetarian course). I love dipping the crusty bread to its juice. Also the lentil/bulgur patties (recipe is under the section of mezes in the blog) goes very well to dip into the yummy juice of the stew.

Christmas Eve dinner is traditionally Turkish dinner in our home, as our international (extended) family loves Turkish cooking, especially the aubergines. So this will be my main course this year. You can cook this delicious stew ahead of time and any left overs can be frozen successfully. You can enjoy entertaining stress-free:)

And a little photo from the wonderful Wisley Gardens; the frost on the plants make the gardens look absolutely magical.

Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 35 minutes Cooking time: 55 minutes

3 small to medium eggplants (aubergines), quartered and sliced
450gr/1lb shallots, peeled and cut in half
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes
1 carrot, cut in cubes
500gr/ 1 ¼ lb beef or lamb in chestnut sized pieces
90 ml/ 6 tablespoon olive oil
400gr/ 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes
15ml/1 tablespoon Turkish red pepper paste (optional)
8fl oz/ 1 cup water
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and ground black pepper

Spread the eggplant slices in a tray and sprinkle salt over them, leave for 15-20 minutes. Salt will help to take the moisture out of the eggplants. Drain the juices, as they are bitter, and squeeze dry the eggplants with paper or tea towel.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pan. Stir in the eggplants and shallots and sauté until they start to turn golden brow (my mother actually would shake the pan too, so that the aubergines don’t get bruised:) Season with salt and pepper. Add the meat to brown a little. Toss in the carrots and potatoes and cook for a few minutes, stir well. Season with salt and black pepper generously. Add the chopped tomatoes, red pepper paste (if used) and water, mix well. Check the seasoning and add the red pepper flakes. Cover and cook on a medium to low heat for about 40 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken.

Serve hot with some nice crusty bread or plain rice by the side. The bulgur&lentil; patties in the blog (under Meze section) would go really well to dip in the delicious juice of the stew too.

Afiyet Olsun!

Hasan Pasha’s Meatballs with Garlicky Mashed Potato – Hasan Pasa Koftesi

By Ozlem Warren on November 15, 2010 in Casseroles and Stews 10

This is a wonderful, comforting dish for the cold days coming up as well as for special occasions. I remember my mother making it when I was a child and we were all looking forward to it. The meatballs topped with the garlicky potato puree look so pretty, a real winner for everyone, and an impressive dish for entertaining and sharing with friends too.

Like the most of Turkish casseroles, you can cook ahead of time (up to a day before) and the leftovers can be frozen successfully. We Turks love meatballs, our koftes; there is also the lovely Baked meatballs casserole with vegetables, as well as Mini gluten-free meatballs in peppery sauce recipes at my cookery book (please kindly note that Hasan Pasa Koftesi recipe is not included in my current book), Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland, if you’d like to have it. Signed copies are 20 % off at this link and delivered worldwide – now lower delivery rates to the US, Canada and MX here too.

I hope you enjoy this delicious Turkish meatballs with garlicky mashed potato, Hasan Pasa Koftesi.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Serves 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes

For the meatballs:
140g/5oz – 3 slices day old bread, crusts removed
900g/2lb ground (minced) beef, lamb or mixture (I like to use 5% or 10% fat)
1 yellow onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 eggs
5ml/1 teaspoon pul biber or red pepper flakes
10ml/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bowl of water with a drizzle of olive oil to wet hands (for shaping meatballs)

For the vegetable garnish:
1 red or yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 green and 1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
400g/14oz can of chopped tomatoes
10ml/2 teaspoons tomato paste
15ml/1 tablespoon olive oil
16fl oz/2 cups water

For the garlicky mashed potatoes:
80ml/1/3 cup milk
450g/1lb potatoes cut in chunks
30ml/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
110gr/4oz grated mild cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F / Gas mark 4

To make the meatballs (koftes); soak the bread in cold water briefly and squeeze out excess water. In a large bowl, combine the onions, garlic, bread, parsley and spices. Give a good mix with your hands. This will soften the onions and blend the spices really well in the mixture. (Also, you can check the seasoning before adding the eggs and the meat.) Now add the eggs and the ground (minced) meat, wet your hands and mix all the ingredients for about 2 minutes. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 30 minutes so that all the flavours can mingle.

Grease an oven tray with 1 tbsp olive oil. Wet your hands and take a large tangerine sized meatball mixture into your hands. Shape each one into a round ball and flatten each one slightly and make a well in the centre of each one, to hold the mashed potato later. Once you shaped all the meatballs this way, par bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Then take the tray out of the oven for the next stage.

While the meatballs are having their initial baking, let’s make the mashed potatoes. Put the potatoes in a large saucepan filled with salted hot water. Bring the pan to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium and cook the potatoes for about 20 minutes or until they are tender. Drain the water and once cool, peel the potato skin (I found peeling the skin this way much easier then before cooking). Warm the milk in a small saucepan or in the microvawe. Place the butter and garlic in a sauce pan over low heat, stirring for about 1 minute. Add the potatoes and the warm milk. Season with salt and pepper. Mash the mixture with a potato masher for about 1 minute, then stir in the grated cheese. Mash and combine well until it is smooth and creamy.

In a large baking dish, place the chopped onions, bell peppers and the can of chopped tomatoes. In a jug, mix the water, olive oil and the tomato paste and combine this with the vegetables in the baking dish.

Place the meatballs in the baking dish, amongst the vegetables and put equal amounts of the mashed potatoes in the centre of each meatball. Bake uncovered for about 20-25 minutes or until the top of the potatoes lightly browned.

Serve the meatballs warm with vegetable garnish and some plain rice by the side. Cacik dip of cucumber and yoghurt would complement this lovely dish very well.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Patlicanli Musakka – Aubergine (Eggplant) Mousakka

By Ozlem Warren on October 6, 2010 in Casseroles and Stews, Uncategorised 5

There are several versions of Musakka, featuring our beloved eggplant, patlican, in Turkey. For example in Aegean region we would exclude the béchamel sauce. In some other regions, potatoes, courgettes (zucchini) maybe added on. This is a dish we share with our Greek friends too, and I like mine with a nice creamy béchamel sauce, similar to the Greek version. The joy of this special dish is that you can prepare in advance and give a gentle reheat before serving – and you get to enjoy your company. Once cooked, mousakka freezes successfully too.

This recipe is an adaptation from Ghille Basan’s recipe, one of my favourite cookery authors. And I would like to dedicate this recipe to Eleni and Babis, for many happy years to spend and enjoy good food together 🙂

Serves 4 – 6
Preparation time: 30 – 40 minutes Cooking time: About 1 hour

4 medium aubergines (eggplants), cut lengthways and sliced crossed ways
Olive oil or sunflower oil for shallow frying
30 ml/2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500gr/1 ¼ lb ground (minced) lamb
400gr/14 oz can of chopped tomatoes
15 ml/ 1 tbsp tomato paste
10 ml/2 tsp oregano
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

For the béchamel sauce:
2 eggs, beaten
450 ml/2 cups milk
25 ml/1 ½ tbsp butter
45 ml/3tbsp plain (all purpose) flour
225gr/ 8oz grated mozzarella
2.5ml/1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat to oven to 200 C/400 F/ Gas 6

Sprinkle salt over the sliced aubergines and leave for about 15-20 minutes. Drain the excess water in aubergines and squeeze dry with paper towel.

Heat some olive or sunflower oil in a frying pan and lightly fry the aubergine slices in batches until light golden (you will need to top up the oil during cooking, as the aubergines absorb it). Drain them on paper towel.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan. Stir the onions and garlic and cook until transparent. Add the ground lamb and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, cook for another 2 minutes. Then season with salt and pepper, mix well.

Layer the aubergines and the ground meat in an ovenproof dish, starting with a layer of aubergines. You can prepare up to this stage a day in advance or ahead of time.

For the sauce; melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the flour to make a roux. Return the pan to the heat and pour in the milk, whisking constantly, until the sauce begins to thicken.

Beat in the nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper. Stir 30 ml/ 2 tbsp of the hot sauce into the beaten eggs and then pour them into the pan. Add half of the shredded mozzarella cheese and stir, until the sauce is smooth.

Pour the sauce over the top layer of aubergines and sprinkle the remaining cheese over evenly. Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the top of the mousakka is nicely browned. You can serve mousakka with salad and plain rice.

Afiyet Olsun!