Casseroles and Stews

Baked Turkish mini meatballs, koftes in pepper and tomato sauce

By Ozlem Warren on August 7, 2014 in Appetizers and Mezes, Casseroles and Stews, Gluten-free recipes, Roasts and Kebaps 27

We Turks love our koftes, Turkish homemade meatballs. A childhood favorite, they get ready in almost no time and the delicious aroma greets you as soon as you are in the kitchen.

Mini Turkish meatballs, koftes; a delicious appetizer or a main course with rice aside.

I recently made these baked mini koftes, meatballs for a friend, who follows a gluten free diet. They were delicious and moist in pepper and tomato sauce, also healthy, as being baked. You can serve them as a mezze, starter or bigger portions can make a lovely main course over some rice, pasta and steamed vegetables aside. Cacik dip of cucumber and yoghurt would complement these mini koftes very well too.

This lovely meatballs in peppery sauce recipe and many others are included at my debut Turkish cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland.

Why don’t you serve these delicious Mini peppery meatballs with Chickpea piyaz salad with sumac onions and / or with Chickpea pilaf, Nohutlu Pilav, from my new book SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen? These and 85 delicious, practical vegetarian Turkish recipes are included in SEBZE, you can get a copy here worldwide.

Ozlem

5.0 from 3 reviews

Baked Turkish mini meatballs, koftes in pepper and tomato sauce

These delicious Turkish mini meatballs, koftes are a real crowd pleaser. The pepper and tomato sauce make them moister; they are also gluten-free and healthy, as they are baked.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Appetizers, Mezzes

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 6

Ingredients

225gr/ 8oz ground beef
225gr/8oz ground lamb
1 medium onion, grated
2 eggs
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
400 gr/14 oz. can of chopped tomatoes
30 ml/ 2 tbsp. olive oil
8 fl oz./1 cup water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Small bowl of water with a drizzle of olive oil aside to shape the koftes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F
In a large bowl, combine the grated onions, eggs and parsley and knead well. That will help soften the onions and blend the ingredients homogeneously.
Stir in the ground meat, season with salt (about 1 – 2 tsp.) and ground black pepper to your taste. Knead for a good 3-5 minutes with your hands, until the mixture becomes elastic and mixed well.
Cover this ground meat mixture with a cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and stir in the garlic and bell peppers. Sauté for 5 minutes, while stirring often.
Pour in the chopped tomatoes and 8 fl oz./ 1 cup of water. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir, cover and simmer on medium to low heat for 10 minutes. Then turn the heat off.
Take out the ground meat mixture from the fridge to shape meatballs. Have a small bowl of water with a drizzle of olive oil near you.
Wet your hands and take a small walnut size of the meat mixture and roll into a ball. Place the meatballs in a baking tray ready cook side by side and continue until all the meat mixture is shaped into mini koftes, meatballs.
Bake the mini koftes in the pre heated oven (180 C / 350 F) for 25 minutes, they will start to get a nice golden brown coating.
Transfer the baked mini koftes in a large baking dish and pour in the pepper and tomato sauce around them, giving a gentle mix.
Bake the mini koftes in tomato and pepper sauce for a further 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken, the flavors blend in and meatballs will have a wonderful coating.
Serve hot with plain rice and Cacik dip of cucumber, yoghurt and mint if you like.

Bended Eggplant Kebabs with Meatballs; Patlicanli Beli Bukuk

By Ozlem Warren on June 16, 2014 in Casseroles and Stews, Roasts and Kebaps 16

Bended eggplant kebab with meatballs; Patlicanli beli bukuk kebap; utterly delicious

Our national favorite Patlican, or aubergine or eggplants are appearing in the markets more now; I love its deliciously sweet, meaty flesh in mezzes, salads, casseroles, even in boreks, savory pastries. This recipe, bended eggplant slices with meatballs or Patlicanli beli bukuk, or Boynu bukuk as we call it, is a childhood favorite. Marriage of the delicate eggplant flesh with meatballs, baked in a delicious tomato sauce with peppers is simply heavenly. All you need is some crusty bread or rice aside and you are all set with a scrumptious, complete meal.

Lightly brown the eggplant slices for 2-3 minutes in a heavy pan or bake in the oven.

You need slim and long purple eggplants for this recipe, as they are first quartered lengthways and then each quarter are cut into deep splits (keeping the skin intact). Once the slices are shallow fried (or baked in the oven, if you prefer), they will soften and bend. If you are in Turkey, you can get those really slim and long eggplants, patlican, which won’t need cutting lengthways; you can just cut deep splits side ways and prepare the recipe.

Gently bend the sautéed eggplant slices and insert the meatballs at the splits, gently push the meatballs in.

We then insert small meatballs, koftes to these slits, which will naturally bend the eggplants and hence comes the name; Patlicanli Beli Bukuk or Patlicanli Boynu Bukuk Kebab (Bended Eggplant Kebab). It may sound a little tricky to do, but it really is not; you will get the hang of it in a few tries. The meatballs cocooned around the eggplants cook deliciously in the juicy sauce with peppers and tomato sauce.

Baked bended eggplant slices with meatballs – Patlicanli beli bukuk

I hope you enjoy one of our favorite kebabs with patlican, eggplant. Cacik dip with yoghurt, cucumbers and dried mint would be delicious aside, so as this wholesome bulgur pilaf with almonds. I use biber salcasi, Turkish red pepper paste to flavor the sauce and it adds a delicious heat, if you like it too. If not, you can replace it with tomato paste.

Bended eggplant slices with meatballs; Patlicanli Beli Bukuk Kebab

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

5.0 from 2 reviews

Bended Eggplant Kebabs with Meatballs; Patlicanli Beli Bukuk

I hope you enjoy this childhood favorite; Bended Eggplant Slices with Meatballs; Patlicanli Beli Bukuk. It is a delicious, moist kebab that you can prepare ahead of time. Marriage of the delicate eggplant flesh with meatballs, baked in a delicious tomato sauce with peppers is heavenly; an impressive dish, great for entertaining.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Turkish casseroles with eggplants and meatballs

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 6

Ingredients

4 long purple eggplants/aubergines
2 bell or pointy peppers (green, red or yellow), deseeded, quartered and cut in chunky slices
1 onion, coarsely chopped
Light olive oil or canola oil to shallow fry the eggplants
4 – 6 garlic cloves, chopped
15 ml / 1 tbsp. Turkish red pepper paste, Biber salcasi or tomato paste
60 ml/4 tbsp. water to dilute pepper paste or tomato paste
400 gr/14 oz. can of chopped tomatoes
30ml/2 tbsp. olive oil
16 fl oz. / 2 cups of water
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Kofte/Meatball ingredients:
400 gr/14 oz. ground beef, lamb or mixture
1 onion, finely chopped or grated
1 slice of slate bread (white or brown), soaked in a bowl of water
1 egg, beaten
Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180C/350F
Cut the stalk of the eggplants and slice in half lengthways. Then cut each slice again in lengthways, you will get 4 long quarters per eggplant.
Then cut each eggplant quarter into 3 -4 deep splits (keeping the skin intact), depending on the length of the eggplant.
Sprinkle salt over the flesh side of the eggplants and leave them aside for 15 minutes. Salt will help the moisture and the bitter juices come out of the eggplants. Dry the eggplants with kitchen towel thoroughly afterwards.
To prepare the meatballs, soak the stale bread slice in a small bowl of water then squeeze dry. In a large bowl, combine all the kofte, meatball ingredients except the meat and knead well. That will help soften the onions and blend the ingredients homogenously. Stir in the ground meat, season with salt (about 1 - 2 tsp.) and ground black pepper to your taste. Knead for a good 3-5 minutes with your hands, until the mixture becomes elastic and mixed well. Cover this mixture with a cling film and rest in the fridge for 15 minutes (or a little more, if you can).
While the meatball mixture is resting, prepare the eggplant quarters. Pour in 2 tbsp. light olive oil or canola oil in a heavy pan and lightly brown the eggplant slices for 2-3 minutes. You may need to top up with light olive oil if you’re shallow frying (Alternatively, you can bake the eggplant quarters in the preheated oven at 200 C, for 20 – 25 minutes. Make sure the tray and the eggplants are greased with olive oil before baking). Place the sautéed eggplant quarters on a large tray and set aside.
Shape the meatball mixture into walnut sized meatballs. Gently bend the sautéed eggplant slices and insert the meatballs at the splits, gently push the meatballs in. You will insert 3-4 meatballs into each eggplant slice.
Carry on until all the meatballs are inserted into the splits of the eggplants. If you have any meatballs left over, you can place them in the middle of the bended eggplants with meatballs or you can place them around the tray.
Place the eggplants with meatballs in a baking tray.
Spread the chopped onions, garlic and peppers around and stir in 2 tbsp. olive oil over these vegetables and gently mix with your hands.
Pour in the chopped tomatoes around the tray.
Dilute 1 tbsp. pepper paste, biber salcasi or tomato paste, with 4 tbsp. water in a small bowl. Pour in this mixture over the tray too.
Stir in 16 fl oz. / 2 cups of water over the tray and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Combine well.
Bake, uncovered for 40 – 45 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked and meatballs and vegetables start to brown. About 25 minutes into baking, check if more water needed in the tray. If so add another ½ cup of water, it is delicious to have some juice in this tray bake.
Gently take out the squared eggplant slices with meatballs, using a large spatula. Serve hot with Cacik dip of cucumbers with yoghurt by the side. Plain rice or bulgur pilaf with almonds (recipe available in my blog) also goes well with this eggplant & meatball kebab.

Tavuk Guvec; Turkish Chicken and Vegetable Stew in Earthenware Pot

By Ozlem Warren on June 2, 2014 in Casseroles and Stews 22

Turkish chicken and vegetable stew in earthenware pot; Tavuk Guvec

My parents are visiting from Istanbul and they brought me a wonderful guvec pot, the traditional earthenware pot, that is used for cooking chicken, meat or vegetable based dishes. This is slow cooking at its best; the flavors of the seasonal produce and choice of meat mingle and simmer over 2 hours and the earthenware guvec pot brings out its distinctive flavor. At the end of the cooking you get a delicious, melt-in- the mouth, tender stew of vegetables and meat, so worth the wait.

My treasured guvec pot, earthenware pot, came all the way from Istanbul

A little history for guvec, excerpted from “The Oxford Companion to Food” by Alan Davidson, kindly shared by My Traveling Joys; “Gyuvech is the Bulgarian name for a kind of earthenware casserole or the dish cooked in it. The name comes from the Turkish word güveç, which has the same meaning. The casserole is fairly shallow with a large surface area allowing for maximum evaporation. It comes round or oval. These vessels are found all over the Balkans are used for cooking almost anything of a savory nature, including fish as well as meat, poultry, and game dishes.” In Rural Anatolia, the guvec pots can be sealed and buried in the ashes of the fire to cook slowly overnight. It is also common for the locals in Anatolia to take their guvec pot to be baked at the bakery.

Layer the vegetables that need longer cooking period towards the bottom of the guvec pot.

This guvec is a wonderful way to use up any seasonal vegetable you have and the meat of your choice if you like. I used runner beans, eggplant, potatoes, zucchini, onions and peppers, they worked really well. When the tomatoes are in season, you can replace the chopped canned tomatoes with the fresh ones; the flavors will be even more amazing. When cooking in the clay pot, bear in mind to layer the vegetables that need longer cooking period towards the bottom of the pot. Once cooked, turn the heat off and let the Guvec rest in the earthenware pot for 30 minutes. The flavors blend and settle deliciously and the earthenware pot will keep warm for a long time.

Potato and bulgur rolls; delicious dipped into the juices of Tavuk Guvec

Potato and bulgur patties; delicious dipped into the juices of Tavuk Guvec

You may also use the cooked potatoes in this guvec pot to make this delicious Patatesli, bulgur kofte; potato and bulgur patties We love dipping these rolls into the delicious juices of the guvec. I love the all in one pot casseroles and “tencere yemekleri” in Turkish cuisine; they are wholesome, easy and healthy meals and great for entertaining and many options included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. Signed hardback copies available at this link and delivered worldwide including US and Canada.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book, signed copies available at this link

Delicious Tavuk Guvec, Turkish chicken and vegetable stew in earthenware pot

I hope you enjoy this delicious, tender and healthy guvec It is a bountiful dish and a great crowd pleaser, the leftovers also freeze well. If you don’t have a clay / earthenware pot, a cast iron casserole dish, a heavy ramekin dish or a heavy based pot like Le Creuset would work too. For a vegetarian version, simply omit the meat. Mushrooms would work really well here instead of meat.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

5.0 from 3 reviews

Tavuk Guvec; Turkish Chicken and Vegetable Stew in Earthenware Pot

I hope you enjoy this delicious, tender and healthy Tavuk Guvec, slowly cooked in a traditional earthenware guvec pot. It is a bountiful dish and a great crowd pleaser, the leftovers also freeze well. If you don’t have a clay / earthenware pot, a cast iron casserole dish, a heavy ramekin dish or a heavy based pot like Le Creuset would work too. For a vegetarian version, simply omit the meat. Mushrooms would work really well here instead of meat for a vegetarian version.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Turkish Chicken Casserole in Earthenware Pot

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 8

Ingredients

450gr / 1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into 3 -4 chunks
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
3 medium potatoes, skinned, quartered
1 green and 1 red bell (or pointy) pepper, coarsely chopped
250 gr fresh runner (or French, dwarf) beans, trimmed and cut in three parts
2 small or 1 large zucchini, sliced
1 eggplant (aubergine), quartered and cut in small chunks
1 can of 400 gr/14 oz. chopped tomatoes
15ml /1 tbsp. red pepper paste (optional)
15 ml/ 1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 lb. / 4 cups of water
30 ml/ 2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
Red pepper flakes to serve
Dollops of plain yoghurt to serve

Instructions

Spread the eggplant slices over a tray and sprinkle salt over them. After 15 minutes, dry the eggplants with paper towel to get rid of its bitter juices.
Heat the olive oil in the pot and stir in chicken pieces and onion. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and red pepper paste and sauté for another 3 minutes.
Now, start layering the vegetables, bearing in mind to layer the vegetables that need longer cooking period towards the bottom of the pan.
Layer the potato slices over the chicken, then the runner beans.
Next layer the bell peppers, courgettes and aubergine (eggplant).
Stir in the chopped tomatoes and water.
Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, as well as red pepper flakes if you like more heat.
Do not stir the guvec pot; cover and start cooking at medium heat, until it starts to bubble.
Once bubbling, turn the heat to low and simmer and gently cook for 2 hours, covered.
Once cooked, turn the heat off and let the Guvec rest in the earthenware pot for 30 minutes. The flavors blend and settle deliciously. Check the seasoning and add more salt and ground black pepper if needed.
You can serve Tavuk guvec with these flavorful potato & bulgur patties and a dollop of plain yoghurt aside.