THE CHATTER BOX

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Re: Turkey by Lounge Trekker on 1 March 2008 10:49pm

Are you kidding me? Recipes or talk about food is all good. I may try varying how I make Greek style dolma adding mint or pine nuts and I bet currants would great.

Anne, do Turkish chefs use the leaves in their fresh state? I haven't tried that yet. Do they cook them or pickle them before rolling them?

I'm an awesome cook...one dish at a time...a potluck dinner kinda guy!

Pete

Re: Turkey by Spursfan on 1 March 2008 11:50pm

I don't know Pete, to be honest.

However, I will endeavour to find out for you!!

(Relieved you weren't offended!!)

Anne the Researcher

Re: Turkey by Spursfan on 2 March 2008 12:05am

Well, this recipe (and there is another recipe if you scroll down the left column (under vegetables and pulses) for vine leaves stuffed with meat - I know you are a big meat eater!!) says boil the vine leaves in water and lemon juice before you set about stuffing them.

http://cookbook.turizm.net/cookbook/default.asp?recipeID=83

Unfortunately all our Turkish cookbooks are in Turkey, and we haven't tried cooking vine leaves yet anyway.

We have cooked Bride Soup (don't worry it isn't made with real brides hahaha) which is delicious.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/2583/turkish-red-lentil-soup.html

Anne

Re: Turkey by Spursfan on 2 March 2008 12:10am

...And I'm still trying to wangle that dinner invite !!!

Re: Turkey by Lounge Trekker on 2 March 2008 12:27am

Thanks Anne! Now I should keep researching Turkish fare and add to my cooking knowledge-base. Hey, I have an outstanding appetite for all ethnicities' cuisine and I'm just trying to make myself happy!

So they are cooked in an acidic liquid. So that would preserve the colours and make the leaves more durable.

Last night I did dolmathes with lamb, pork and rice served with avgolemono (lemon egg) sauce. Similar to the vine leaves with meat stuffing. Great! Your information will help me learn how to use my own grape leaves regularly and with ingredients I didn't think of using.

I hope my little house will work...if you are anywhere near Vancouver Island and can get here...yeah! I'll do as much as I can to keep us all happy with food!
Pete

Re: Turkey by mrsthing on 2 March 2008 1:03am

Have either of you heard of a Turkish pastry called Ishli? My husband's yaya used to make them, but it seems only people from their particular village in Asia Minor (what the old Greeks still call Turkey) know about it. It's really good! Just pastry dough folded over chopped walnuts mixed with sugar and cinnamon, baked, then dipped in sweet lemon syrup. Yummy!

Re: Turkey by Lounge Trekker on 2 March 2008 4:42am

I haven't heard of Ishli but it sounds great. How can you go wrong with walnuts, cinnamon and sugar? Is it made with fillo or puff pastry?

I'm gonna get a chunk of that and do a few treats, after the most excellent spanokopita Patti made for our potluck dinner last night.

Hungry Trekker

Re: Turkey by Spursfan on 2 March 2008 10:58am

I haven't heard of it either.

I googled it and came up with Armenian dishes, Ishli Kufta, but they seem to be savoury.

Generally speaking, your average Turk has a very sweet tooth! Their puddings are often drenched in sugar syrup, and even when making a fresh fruit salad they drizzle on some honey (actually this is delicious).

There is gorgeous, sticky, baklava (I often accidentally call it balaclava!!), which you buy in special shops by weight. There are several types and they then pack it in boxes for you. There is a pic of one type (our fave) on this page -

http://www.mymerhaba.com/en/main/content.asp_Q_id_E_544

They also do gorgeous creme caramel. The dondurma (ice cream) is a different texture to ours and is almost chewy! Sometimes you get special sellers in costume who delight the kids by throwing the dondurma up and around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oisweeaQKEY

Personally I am not keen on dondurma but anyway they sell all sorts of the usual ices.

Re: Turkey by mrsthing on 3 March 2008 2:35pm

The one time I made Ishli, we just used regular old flour from the grocery store, which is what yaya used. Basically, you make dough, roll small amounts out to pear shapes, put about a tablespoon of the nut mixture in the wide part, fold the dough in some complicated way, bake them, then dip them. They ARE yummy, because the sugar and cinnamon melt a bit in the oven.

My husband and his siblings agreed that they didn't taste exactly like yaya's. She used to peel the walnuts first--a step we skipped.

I love baklava, but more than one bit of it makes me dizzy. Too much sugar, I guess.

I'm getting in a mood to cook...

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