7 posts tagged “turkey”

Check out this great piece by Peter Davies and Mark Scherzer about turkeys - from their history to a hilarious account of eating turkey in Turkey...

Good Food producer Gillian Ferguson recently reported from the Anatolian Food & Culture festival in Orange county.  When she returned home, she couldn't get a certain Turkish delight out of her mind:

Ashure, more often referred to as Noah's Pudding, is jam-packed with flavor and has an even richer history to boot.

Ashure means the number 10 in Arabic and traditionally there are 10 ingredients in the pudding.  Folklore however tells a different story.  The name Noah's Pudding refers to the story of Noah's Ark and it's often said that 40 ingredients are incorporated into the dish.  Legend has it that when the ark came to rest on a mountain (believed to be Mount Ararat in

Turkey) Noah's family prepared a celebratory meal.  Culling all the ingredients that were left on the ship and tossing them into a large pot this famous dessert was born.  Just like the pudding itself, the legend of Noah's Pudding has many variants, but in every household the tradition involves sharing the dessert with friends and loved ones.
 
Sema Hasmer who cooked enough Ashure to feed 500 guests at the festival last weekend was kind enough to share her recipe.  Invoking the Turkish habit of göz kararı, or what we might call eyeballing, she says no two Ashure are ever the same and all recipes are approximations with room to embellish.  The following recipe makes approximately 8 servings.

Noah's Pudding (Ashure)

2 1/2 cups barley
1 cup chickpeas
1 cup dried beans
dried apricots
dried figs
raisins
sugar (roughly 1 part barley to 3 parts sugar)
hazelnuts (finely chopped)
walnuts (finely chopped)
cinnamon

Common additions include, but are not limited to, apple rind, orange zest, pistachios, rose water and pomegranate seeds for decoration.

Soak barley and beans overnight.  The following day fill a pot with water (1 parts barley to 4 parts water, in this case 10 cups water) and bring to a gentle boil.  Cook the barley over low heat, stirring frequently, until just tender and the water is thickened.  The liquid will be gooey and white.  Add chickpeas and beans and continue to simmer.  Continue to stir as beans cook. 

Like cooking a risotto, add the following ingredients slowly while stirring.  Add apricots, figs and raisins stirring between additions to incorporate each ingredient.  Finally add the sugar and continue to simmer to your liking.  Taste and adjust recipe as needed.  Top with walnuts, hazelnuts, cinnamon and if you wish, pomegranate seeds.

 
 

 

While the hearty doner kebab and the glistening mounds of baklava are no doubt delicious, the true gems lie in the lesser-known delicacies.  Manti, a traditional dumpling stuffed with ground beef, is topped with garlicky yogurt and a spicy red sauce with hints of parsley, mint and paprika.  Each bowl is made to order.

Aryan is everywhere; the salty yogurt drink, like a savory lassi, is unlike anything I had ever tasted.   The kofte are a must.  Both the Icli Kofte (bulgur stuffed with ground meat and deep fried) and the Mercimek Kofte (a spicy lentil and bulgur patty) are sublime.  For a taste of Turkish comfort food try the Yayla soup, a

deliciously subtle soup of yogurt and rice. 

And not to be missed are the Gozleme, balls of dough rolled paper-thin and stuffed with your choice of ground meat, feta cheese or spinach and made fresh on the premises.   For those with a sweet tooth the options are endless. 

My personal favorites were the Quails Nest and the Rose Cookies, both named for their appearance.  The

flaky puff pastry of the Quail's Nest, nestled in a bath of sweet syrup and topped with ground pistachios, is the perfect accompaniment to a Turkish Coffee from famed Masal Café.  For a heartier dessert, Ashure, or “Noah’s Pudding” is said to have 40 ingredients.  While each recipe varies, the pudding served at the fair incorporated chick peas, white beans, apples, walnuts and cinnamon to name a few.

 

The list of delights is endless and one could easily spend a full (no pun intended!) four days exploring what’s on the menu, but fortunately for those of us who can only make it for an afternoon, or who like me have eyes bigger than their stomach, most dishes are available to go as well.

Head to Orange County for a four-day festival to celebrate the culture, history and cuisine of the Anatolian region (modern day Turkey).

When: Thursday, April 2nd – Sunday, April 5th, 2009; 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Where: Orange County Fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

If you can't make it, one our producers will be there to report on all the yummy Turkish food they have including the doner above.

Here's a great last minute roast turkey recipe from Mark Bittman, a guest on Good Food and food writer for the New York Times.  This December on the show, Mark will talk to us about making soup. 

Forty-Five–Minute Roast Turkey
MAKES: At least 10 servings
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
 
It’s almost a given that time and oven space are at a premium on Thanksgiving Day, and this method of roasting turkey, unorthodox as it is, addresses both. Split, flattened, and roasted at 450°F (lowering the heat if the bird browns too fast), a 10-pound bird will be done in about 40 minutes. Really. It will also be more evenly browned (all of the skin is exposed to the heat), more evenly cooked (the legs are more exposed; the wings shield the breasts), and moister than birds cooked conventionally. But it works only for relatively small turkeys.

One 8- to 12-pound turkey
10 or more garlic cloves, lightly crushed
Several sprigs fresh tarragon or thyme or several pinches dried
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or melted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oven to 450°F. Put the turkey on a stable cutting board, breast side down, and cut out the backbone. Turn the bird over and press on it to flatten. Put it breast side up in a roasting pan that will accommodate it (a slightly snug fit is okay). The wings should partially cover the breasts, and the legs should protrude a bit.

2. Tuck the garlic and the herb under the bird and in the nooks of the wings and legs. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

3. Roast for 20 minutes, undisturbed. By this time the bird should be browning; remove it from the oven, baste with the pan juices, and return it to the oven. Reduce the heat to 400°F (or 350°F if it seems to be browning very quickly).

4. Begin to check the bird’s temperature about 15 minutes later (10 minutes if the bird is on the small side). It is done when the thigh meat measures 155–165°F on an instant-read meat thermometer; check it in a couple of places.

5. Let the bird rest for a few minutes before carving, then serve with the garlic cloves and pan juices. Or serve at room temperature.

We just heard from a listener wondering where to order a holiday Turducken.  In case you've never heard of this strange beast it's a hen stuffed into a duck which is stuffed into a Turkey.  There are as many variations as there are cooks.  The most intriguing to me are boneless versions with stuffing tucked into each layer.  I know I've seen them during the holidays at Whole Foods, but does anyone else have a good online or mail order resource for them?