Ana Yemekler
Stuffed Vine Leaves in Olive Oil (Zeytinyağlı Yaprak Sarma)
Meatless rolls, eaten cold. The amount of onion in the filling decides the whole flavour.
Ana Yemekler
Tekirdağ Köftesi
Stale bread and a long knead. The resting time is what keeps the meatballs from falling apart.
Ana Yemekler
Stuffed Bulgur Shells (İçli Köfte)
One of the hardest recipes in Turkish cooking. The consistency of the shell dough and how wet your hands are…
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Stuffed Tomatoes (Domates Dolması)
The flesh you scoop out is not thrown away, it goes into the filling. Choosing firm, ripe tomatoes stops them…
Ana Yemekler
Meatballs in Tomato Sauce (Sulu Köfte)
Small meatballs cooked in a tomato sauce. Flouring them both binds them and thickens the sauce.
Ana Yemekler
Kadınbudu Köfte
Half the mince is raw, half is cooked. Rice binds it, and egg and flour make the coating.
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Meatballs with Potatoes (İzmir Köftesi)
The meatballs are seared first and then baked with potatoes. A tomato sauce carries both.
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Slow Cooked Lamb (Tas Kebabı)
Built on cooking the meat long and slow. There is almost no vegetable; the focus is entirely on the lamb.
Ana Yemekler
Lamb on Aubergine Purée (Hünkâr Beğendi)
Charred aubergine meets béchamel, with diced lamb on top. The char is what gives the smoke.
Ana Yemekler
Meatballs in Egg and Lemon Sauce (Terbiyeli Köfte)
Sulu köfte with an egg and lemon thickening instead. The sauce is white and the taste leans sour.
Ana Yemekler
Ali Nazik
Charred aubergine mashed with yoghurt, topped with diced lamb fried in butter. An Antep classic.
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Aubergine Kebab (Patlıcan Kebabı)
Meatballs and aubergine slices are arranged alternately on a skewer or in a tray. The fat passes from the…
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Lamb with Vegetables (Orman Kebabı)
The classic where meat and vegetables cook together. Peas and potatoes go in last, the meat starts first.
Ana Yemekler
Slow Roasted Lamb Shank (Fırında Kuzu İncik)
Three hours at a low temperature and the meat comes off the bone by itself. Beyond patience there is no…
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Lamb and Vegetable Casserole (Etli Güveç)
In an earthenware pot, in the oven and slow. The porous pot holds the moisture and keeps the meat from drying.
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Çoban Kavurma
The meat fries in its own fat with no water added. The vegetables go in afterwards and provide their own…
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Chicken Shish (Tavuk Şiş)
A yoghurt marinade both tenderises the chicken and keeps it from drying. The waiting is half the recipe.
Ana Yemekler
Chicken Sauté (Tavuk Sote)
Dinner in twenty minutes. The chicken browning over a high heat and the vegetables staying firm are the whole…
Ana Yemekler
Konya Oven Kebab (Fırın Kebabı)
The Konya way: lamb cooked for hours with nothing on it but salt. Its own fat does the cooking.
Ana Yemekler
Kayseri Mantı
Rolling the dough thin and keeping the squares small is the whole job. Forty mantı should fit on one spoon.
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Whole Roast Chicken (Fırında Bütün Tavuk)
Crisp skin comes from a dry surface. Drying the chicken thoroughly before it goes in the oven is essential.
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Chicken Kapama (Tavuk Kapama)
Chicken and rice in the same pan, covered over with lettuce leaves. The steam does all of it.
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Rice with Liver and Pine Nuts (İç Pilav)
Rice enriched with liver, pine nuts, currants and spices. A classic of holiday tables.
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Lamb Pilaf (Etli Pilav)
Rice cooked in the liquid from the lamb. Because the rice drinks that liquid, the flavour goes into the grain.