Turkish Recipes

Cheesy Baked Mushrooms

Ingredients:

400 g (14 oz) fresh button or cremini mushrooms

2 tbsp butter (softened or cut into small pieces)

2-3 cloves garlic (minced)

150 g shredded Kaşar Cheese (or substitute with Mozzarella or Gruyere)

Spices:

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried thyme or red pepper flakes

Prepare the Mushrooms: Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel or brush (do not wash them with water, as they will get soggy). Remove the stems and place the mushroom caps upside down in a small baking dish or individual clay pots (güveç).

Season: Place a small dab of butter (about ½ tsp) into the center of each mushroom cap. Sprinkle with minced garlic, salt, black pepper, and thyme.First Bake: Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Bake the seasoned mushrooms for 15 minutes until they are tender and release their natural juices.

Add Cheese: Remove the dish from the oven and top the mushrooms generously with the shredded cheese.

Final Bake: Return to the oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden brown on top.Serve: Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot directly in the clay dish with crusty bread.

CIRCASSIAN CHICKEN

Circassian Chicken, or Çerkez Tavuğu, is a classic Turkish meze of tender shredded chicken tossed in creamy walnut-garlic sauce and finished with vibrant Aleppo pepper oil.

For the chicken stock :

3 deboned chicken thighs

5 slices stale bread, crusts removed

1 onion, quartered

350 g /1 ½ cups walnuts, ground

6 garlic cloves, crushed with salt

1 teaspoon paprika

salt and black pepper to taste

For the garnish :

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp paprika

1 handful shelled walnuts

Put the chicken and onion and enough water almost cover the chicken in a pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside to cool. Strain the stock through a colander and put the strained cooking liquid aside to cool.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin, tear into thin strips and put to one side.

For the walnut dressing soak the bread in a little of reserved cooking liquid. Squeeze dry and crumble the bread into a bowl with ground walnuts, garlic and paprika In a food processor, blitz these together to form a paste. Add a spoonful at a time of reserved cooking liquid until a creamy consistency is obtained Season with salt and pepper if required.

In a bowl combine the chicken pieces with half the walnut dressing. Pour onto a serving plate, cover with the remaining sauce and refrigerate until required.

Heat the olive oil and add the paprika. Cook gently for 1 minute.

To serve, sprinkle the dressed chicken with chopped walnuts, and drizzle of paprika infused olive oil.

MANTI (TURKISH DUMPLINGS)

Dough:

3 cups all-purpose flour
100 ml warm water
1 egg white
1 teaspoon sunflower oil

Knead all ingredients by hand until a smooth dough forms. Once the dough reaches the desired consistency, shape it into a log, place it in a plastic bag, and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

Ground Beef Filling:

1 medium onion
250 grams (about 9 oz) ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Grate the onion and squeeze out its juice by hand. Mix the ground beef, spices, and grated onion together by hand until well combined.

Spinach and Cheese Filling:

Spinach as needed
Feta Cheese 100 grams
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Wash the spinach thoroughly.

Blanch the spinach for a few minutes.

Squeeze the spinach out of its water.

Put spinach in a bowl together with crumbled feta cheese with chilli flakes.

Preparation:

Roll out the rested dough on a floured surface using a rolling pin. Repeat as necessary to get the dough thin enough.
Cut the dough into strips about 2.5 fingers wide.
Then cut crosswise into small squares, about 4 cm (1.5 in) on each side.
Place a chickpea-sized portion of the filling in the center of each square.
Pinch the opposite corners together to seal and shape them like little flowers. Make sure they are sealed well to prevent opening during boiling.
Place the finished dumplings on a tray dusted with flour.
You can repeat the process with spinach filling using any leftover dough.
Boil the dumplings in salted water: for 1.5 liters of water, add 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Serve with garlic yogurt and a special butter sauce.

Mantı Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon red pepper
100 ml water

Sauté the butter, tomato paste, and pepper together. Once it starts to boil, remove from heat.

Pour the sauce over the garlic yogurt-topped dumplings before serving.

Cheesy Baked Mushrooms

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