Posts mit dem Label Kebabs werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen
Posts mit dem Label Kebabs werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen

Montag, 8. September 2014

Baked Eggplant Kebab (Tepside Patlıcan Kebabı)




This truly delicious dish comes from the city of Gaziantep, Turkeywhich is very famous with its cuisine. After Hatay (my Province), I like Gaziantep’s food next and then Adana which is about two hours away from my hometown. I have only passed by Gaziantepand have not been there to taste all the delicious food, but when I was very young we had a family acquaints who were from Gaziantep and would come to enjoy the Mediterranean beach for the summer months. As our families spent a lot of time together during their summer vacation, I have tasted some of their food.  One thing I still remember from those days was when we stopped by one day the lady was making stuffed eggplants. She insisted on us to try it before we left and we did. To this day, the taste of that stuffed eggplants is still in my mouth and have never forgotten it. It was hot, but extremely delicious and I must say I have not eaten any better stuffed eggplant than that. I have tried to recreate it in my adult life by asking my mom about the ingredients, but I have not been fully successful. Now that we’ve gone back to childhood memories, let’s get back to the eggplant kebab.


Gaziantepis known with its eggplant kebab which is normally made on a grill which tastes even better. But this one is also extremely good and probably easier cooking as you put it in the oven and forget about it. I made this twice so far; in the initial trial it is juicier than I would have liked and also I used the fat eggplants that I had in hand. In Gaziantepthe long eggplants are know as “kebaplık patlıcan” meaning “eggplants specifically for kebap”. This version turned out better than the first one. The amount was perfect for two adults and two small children and we had leftovers. You can easily double the recipe for a larger amount.

1 lb ground beef
4-5 eggplants (long eggplants)
1 tomato (cut in half)
8 pearl onions
2 green peppers (any kind of long and thin peppers will work)
1 clove garlic (chopped fine)
1 small onion (grated)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 ¼ tsp salt


For the Sauce:

2 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 cup cold water


For Soaking Eggplant:

5 cups cold water
2 tsp salt

Mix ground beef, garlic, grated onions, red pepper flakes, black pepper and salt well. 


Pull a walnut sized piece and slightly flatten. 1 lb ground beef made 17 small patties. 


Cut the eggplants 1-1.5 inches wide. 


Cut as many pieces as the number of ground beef (in this case 17).  Soak the eggplants in the salted cold water for about 30 minutes to get out any bitterness that may exist. In a round pan, arrange the beef and eggplants by alternating with one piece of eggplant and one piece of meat starting from the edge of the pan until all the meat and eggplants are used up. In the middle of the pan, place the tomato halves and the pearl onions. 


Mix the salt, olive oil and tomato sauce with 1 cup of water. Pour it all over the pan. 


Add the green peppers and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake at 400º F for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and continue to bake for another 15 minutes until the vegetables show signs of roasting. Five minutes of broiling also will work.

Enjoy with rice pilaf or just flat bread.

Note: If your pan is bigger and have a lot of room left in the middle, you may add more tomatoes, onions and green peppers inside. 

Dienstag, 5. Oktober 2010

Swordfish Kebab (Kılıçbalığı Kebabı)


Swordfish is perfect for kebabs because of the texture and thickness of the fish. Any type of sauce with olive oil, lemon and spices will go very well with this fish. Enjoy with rice pilaf and salad.

1 1/3 lb swordfish filet
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp red pepper paste
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves (chopped)
2 tbsp chopped shallots

Wash and pat dry fish with paper towel.


Cut the fish filet in bite sized cubes.



Mix all the ingredients except the fish in a large bowl. Add the fish and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.


Slightly grease the skewers and skewer each piece one by one. Leave enough space on the end of the skewer in order to hold it.


Grill on an out door grill or broil in the oven for 10 minutes on each side or until fish is completely cooked. Serve with rice pilaf and salad.

Note: If bamboo skewers are used, they need to be soaked in water for 30 minutes prior to grilling in order to prevent them from burning.



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Sonntag, 22. November 2009

Eggplant Kebap (Patlıcan Kebabı)


Here is a quick recipe that is delightful and not very time consuming. I had prepared this recipe while I was in Houston and had not gotten the opportunity to write a clean version of the recipe. Finally, I got the chance to write the recipe and publish it.

Similar to other kebabs, patlıcan kebab tastes much better when cooked on charcoal grill. This kebab can be placed in thin and wide bread and wrapped or can be eaten with rice or bulgur pilaf along with a bowl of cold plain yogurt. Grilled green peppers and tomatoes would be a perfect complement to this kebab.



For the Meat:

½ lb ground beef
½ clove garlic
½ tsp cayenne
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper

For Eggplants:

3 long and thin eggplants
1 tsp olive oil (optional)
½ clove garlic
¼ tsp cayenne
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp salt

Preparation:

To prepare the meat, all the ingredients for the meat (garlic, cayenne, salt and black pepper) in a large bowl and mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are integrated. Let the meat sit for 30 minutes. This can also be prepared the night before.

Cut the eggplants in about 1 inch length. Place in a bowl and add the olive oil (if you desire), garlic, cayenne, black pepper and salt. Mix thoroughly and let them sit for 10 minutes.

If you are using bamboo skewers, soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes prior to cooking. When soaking the skewers is finished, oil the skewers slightly so that the meat does not stick to the skewers.

With your hands, pick about 1.5 tablespoons of the meat and roll with your hands to create a small meatball. Place one eggplant piece on the oiled skewer and follow with a piece of meatball. Alternate the meatballs and the eggplant pieces, until the skewer is full 3/4s of the way.

In your indoor oven broiler or outside grill, cook for about 8-10 minutes on each side. This can vary from oven to oven, so keep watching the cooking process in order to make the meat is not overcooked.


Enjoy with rice or bulgur pilaf and plain yogurt on the side.


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Eggplant on Foodista

Dienstag, 11. August 2009

Chicken Shish Kebab (Tavuk Şiş Kebab) and Zerzavat (Onion Salad with Sumac and Parsley)

Chicken shish kebabs (şiş kebap- şiş means skewer and kebap means cubed, grilled meat) are an excellent alternative to regular lamb or beef şiş kebabs, especially for people who are not fond of red meat. When accompanied with zerzavat (onion salad with sumac and parsley) and rice or flat bread, it can make an excellent meal. Any type of meat can be used for şiş kebabs; however the most common ones are beef and lamb. Kebabs are also can be made with vegetables such as green peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, onions and etc.

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
½ tbsp red pepper paste
1 clove of garlic (chopped finely)
½ tbsp thyme
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt

10 bamboo skewers or regular skewers
1 tsp olive oil for greasing the skewers

Vegetables on the Side:

1 bell pepper
2 plum tomatoes
1 white or yellow onion

Cut the chicken breasts into cubes. Put in a large bowl. Add the red pepper paste, garlic, thyme and salt. Add the olive oil and as the last step, add the lemon juice. With your hands (wear kitchen gloves so you do not make your hands messy) integrate all the ingredients so they are distributed evenly on the chicken. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

If you are using bamboo skewers, soak the bamboo skewers for 30 minutes in water prior to cooking the chicken, so that they do not burn during broiling or grilling. Oil the skewers ¾ of the way only, so that you have a place to hold the skewers without greasing your hands. Take each chicken cube and insert into the skewer, again ¾ of the way, not all the way.

Cut up the bell pepper in squares and quarter the onion. Start inserting the peppers, onions and one tomato in each greased skewer. Alternate the vegetables so that they look colorful.


Heat the broiler or grill. Broil or grill each side of the skewer for 12-13 minutes. Enjoy with rice pilaf and zerzavat.


Zerzavat (Onion Salad with Sumac and Parsley)

1 medium red onion (white or yellow will also work)
1 tbsp sumac
½ tsp salt
¼ cup parsley (chopped)
4 lemon wedges

Cut onion in half. Slice each half in thin slices so that you have half rings of onions. Sprinkle the salt and mix with the onion. Add the chopped parsley and sumac. Mix well. You may squeeze the lemon on top of the onion salad or you may serve with lemon wedges and squeeze the lemon while eating. Enjoy with grilled meat, chicken or fish.


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Grilled Chicken Kebabs on Foodista

Mittwoch, 17. Juni 2009

Arab Kebab (Arap Kebabı)


As far as I know, this kebab is mainly prepared in the Hatay-Adana-Mersin provinces which are in Southern Turkey. Although, the ingredients are very Mediterranean, the name of this dish may not be familiar to many people. The fact that Hatay province shares a border with Syria (an Arab country), the food culture in Hatay has been influenced by Syrian cooking and flavors. Probably, that’s where the name of this dish comes from.

This kebab that is made in the pot was prepared by my husband without my assistance. It is very simple to make and it tastes really good with some good bread. Some people choose to make it with ground beef or beef cubes. For you vegetarians out there, I would substitute the meat with portabella mushrooms.

1 lb lamb (stew meat)
4 juicy ripe tomatoes (coarsely diced)
1 green pepper (coarsely chopped)
1 medium onion (coarsely chopped)
2 large cloves garlic (sliced)
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp cumin
2 tsp salt


Heat olive oil in a large pot. Saute the onions and garlic until the onions are transparent. Add the lamb. When the lamb takes a light brownish color, add the peppers, tomatoes, pepper, salt and cumin.


Give it a stir and close lid. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes and then turn to low heat for another 20 minutes. If the tomatoes are not juicy, you may need to add a little water so that the dish is not dry.



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Dienstag, 18. November 2008

Adana Kebab (Adana Kebabı)

Adana kebab comes from the city of Adana located in Southern Turkey. It is the fifth largest city of Turkey and very rich in food culture. Aside from kebaps, it is also famous for other types of scrumptious food.

Adana kebab consists of ground lamb (beef may also be used but original Adana Kebab is made with ground lamb) and various spices. Skewers of minced meat are created using long wide skewers and grilled on a charcoal grill. Adana kebab is served with an onion salad called “zerzavat” on a bread similar to pita. If you only had a chance to try this bread, you would certainly love it. Unfortunately, I have not seen this bread here in the States with the same taste acquired in Turkey. I think the reason for that is that this bread is cooked in a special oven made from clay using wood fire in Turkish bakeries. The bread is thin, long and oval shaped. If you are familiar with Turkish bakeries, you probably know what I am talking about. Just passing by a Turkish bakery will make you hungry due to all the aroma filled in air.

One can find many different versions of Adana kebab in Turkey as well as abroad; however, I can assure you that the best one is made in Adana, Turkey. When you go to a Turkish restaurant, you will most likely see Adana kebab on the menu. It may not be as good as Adana’s original kebap, but it will still be very good. If you feel like making Adana kebab at home, here is a recipe (my version).


1 lb ground beef or lamb
3-4 cloves of garlic (chopped finely)
½ cup parsley (finely chopped)
½ small white or yellow onion (chopped finely)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp salt

10 bamboo skewers
6 green cubannelle peppers
6 roma tomatoes

Mix all the ingredients and knead for 5 minutes to make sure all the ingredients are mixed well. Let the meat sit over night in the refrigerator or for a few hours. Soak the bamboo skewers for 30 minutes prior to cooking the meat. Take an egg sized amount of the meat and place on the skewer and keep pressing so that the meat occupies 3/4s of the skewer evenly.


Heat the oven broiler and place on a pan that allows dripping. Cook the meat for 5-6 minutes on each side. Serve with rice pilaf, grilled/broiled green peppers and tomatoes. You may also serve inside flat bread (i.e. pita) with zerzavat which is an onion and parsley mixture.

Zerzavat (Onion Salad):

2 red onions
¼ cup fresh parsley (chopped finely)
1 tsp sumac
½ tsp salt
Lemon wedges

Cut onions in half lengthwise. Slice thinly. Add the sumac and parsley and mix well. Add salt just before serving so that they do not become soggy. If you like it with lemon, squeeze one of the lemon wedges on top.

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