Lamb and Beef Main Meals
Hospitality is an important value in the Middle East, and in Turkey it can be lavish. Many of the traditional Ottoman dishes that have been handed down over the centuries feature lamb or beef - special meats in Turkish culture - and it is these special recipes you might call upon when a guest is coming to dinner...
Beef and Eggplant Casserole
Hearty casseroles like this are a winter favourite in Turkey. After tramping around in the snow and ice, it is magical to return to a warm home and be served a hearty stew like this at the end of the day...
Bursa Beef with Dried Plum
This recipe forced me to do possibly one of the most terrifying things I have ever done in the kitchen: use a pressure cooker. This is something I have studiously avoided up until now. But after attempting to make this gorgeous recipe the first time, I had to concede a certain point. The brave women of Turkey use their pressure cookers for a reason....
Bulgur-Crusted Lamb and Walnut Pie
I do enjoy making the occassional pie. This is one of my very favourites, harking from the Antakya region near the border with Syria. For those fortunate enough to have tried the magnificently more-ish icli kofte, this pie is a less-fussy version featuring the same rich marriage of lamb and walnut. And like any other pie, you can assemble it ahead of time and then refrigerate until you are ready to bake.
Lamb Sach Stir-Fry
I first fell in love with this dish in a canyon somewhere in the Aksaray province of Turkey. Made in a traditional 'Sach" pan, it is quick but satisfying. Serve with flat bread and yogurt
Lamb Ragu with Eggplant Begendi Sauce
This exquisite meal dates back to Ottoman time, and the Turkish name translates literally as ‘The sultan liked it’. I must confess I don’t know the history of this intriguing name, it certainly tempts the imagination.
Manti with Minted Tomato Sauce
Manti (pronounced MAHN-TAH)are sort of like a chinese dumpling. Each little dumpling is filled with lightly spiced lamb, folded, boiled, then pulled steaming from the pot and tossed with yogurt. The manti is typically garnished with a drizzling of chilli-infused butter and sprinkled with dried mint. But in some parts of turkey, a tomato-mint sauce is used to finish the dish instead – a special treat.
Slow-Cooked White Beans with Beef Pastirma
You would never believe beans could be SOOOO good. And don’t worry, if you cook them properly, you won’t have, ah, windy problems. The most famous version of this dish is flavoured with pastirma, a strongly-flavoured cured meat available from Middle Eastern food stores.
Sheherd's Casserole
Like most regions of Turkey, inner Anadolu has many recipes that are virtually unknown to the world outside. But not this recipe. Shepherd’s Casserole is a simple, hearty meal that has found its way onto many an Istanbul menu.
Spiced Mince with Eggplant Yogurt Sauce
A bold flavoured meaty meal, juxtaposed nicely against the cool, creamy eggplant yogurt sauce. Gaziantep lays claim to inventing this meal, although it is served and enjoyed all over Turkey. The quantities of spice might seem a little much, particularly the generous quantity of black pepper – but hold your breath and push through. It will taste great.