Kurdish Lamb Eggplant Stew With Sumac Meftuna Bacanan Recipes

EPRAX (KURDISH STUFFED VEGETABLES AND LAMB)

Steps:

• Make the filling: Rinse rice in colander until water runs clear. Transfer to large bowl, add water to cover, and let soak for 30 minutes.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground meat, salt and pepper and sauté over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, breaking up meat with a spoon. Stir in garlic and onions and sauté for 1 minute, stirring.
• Reduce heat to low and mix in tomato paste, celery, tomato, lemon juice, spices, oil and parsley. Remove from heat. Drain rice. Add meat mixture to rice, mix well to combine, cover, and set aside to cool.
• Prepare the vegetables: Fill a microwave-safe bowl with an inch of water. Using a knife, make a cut halfway from the side just into the center of the onion (so it is not fully cut in half). Place onion in bowl and microwave for 3 to 5 minutes, until onion has swelled and become soft, and layers are pliable. Remove from water, drain and let cool. Repeat with cabbage, making a cut into its core and placing in a bowl with water. Microwave for 5 to 10 minutes, until leaves become pliable, and can be easily separated from the head. (Remove outer layers as they soften while cooking.) Cut leaves into pieces about the size of your palm. (Alternatively, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook onion for 5 minutes, and cabbage for 10 minutes.)
• Soak grape leaves in cold water in a mixing bowl until ready to use. Cut any leaves bigger than the palm of your hand in half.
• Cut a 1/2-inch-thick lid off each bell pepper or tomato, or both, reserving lids. Core and seed each, so the center of each piece can be stuffed.
• Cut off stem end of eggplant, then cut in half so you have two short cylinders about the height of a bell pepper, and use a knife to cut out the middle of each piece of eggplant, leaving a roughly 1/2-inch wall, so there is a cavity you can stuff.
• Peel potato. Halve and carve out the center with a spoon so there is room to stuff each half.
• To assemble: Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season lamb chops with salt and pepper, then add to skillet. Sear 2 to 3 minutes per side, until evenly brown. Set aside.
• Lightly grease bottom of a large pot with a lid (10 to 12 quarts) with 1 teaspoon oil. Arrange squash pieces in a circle on the bottom of the pot. Place lamb chops on top.
• Fill about 20 grape leaves: Place a grape leaf (with the bumpier veined side of the leaf up) on a surface, with the stem closest to you. Place 1 scant tablespoon rice mixture near the stem. Roll up leaf to form a roughly 2-inch cigar shape, folding ends over halfway through rolling. Repeat with remaining leaves, and fit into pot between and over chops. Season with salt and pepper.
• Loosely stuff peppers or tomatoes or both, cover with their lids, and place in pot on their sides. Loosely stuff eggplant and potatoes, and place in pot on their sides.
• Separate cooled onion into its individual layers, so you have 6 to 8 individual curved pieces whose ends meet to form little tubes. (Don't use the smallest pieces.) Loosely fill onion layers, as if you were stuffing Italian-style pasta shells, and fit them in between the other vegetables to fill gaps. Season with salt and pepper.
• Use remaining rice mixture to stuff as many cabbage leaves as you can, then use stuffed leaves to create a top layer in the pot. (If you don't have enough stuffing to make a full layer of stuffed leaves, cover the stuffed vegetables by draping them with leftover cabbage leaves.) Season with salt and pepper, then drizzle lemon juice over top.
• Add water to pot until it comes about halfway up the sides of the vegetables (about 2 inches below the top layer). Cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook at a hard simmer for 10 minutes.
• Drizzle vegetables with 2 tablespoons oil, then cover pot again, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for 35 to 45 minutes more, or until rice is cooked and much of the liquid has been absorbed. To check for doneness, cut into one of the leaf bundles on top and check to see that the rice inside is fully cooked; to check the liquid, tilt the pot so you can get a sense of the water level. If there is more than 1/2 inch water, carefully drain off excess.
• Place a large circular platter or tray on top of pot and carefully invert the pot onto platter, tapping bottom of pot to loosen any remaining ingredients before removing it. (If you'd like, line tray with flatbread first before turning out dolmas, or serve flatbread on the side. The bread absorbs the excess water.) Pat any stray vegetables back into a big pile. Serve in the center of the table.

KURDISH LAMB & EGGPLANT STEW WITH SUMAC (MEFTUNA BACANAN)

Steps:

• Put the sumac in a pot and pour the boiling water over and set aside for at least 15-20 minutes, until the water turns to pink color.
• Season the lamb with 1.5 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. In a heavy pan or a casserole dish, fry the butter and add the lamb cubes. On a high heat, brown them for about 10 minutes, stirring them around every now and then.
• Meanwhile part peel the eggplants in lines diagonally and de-seed the peppers. Cut the eggplants and peppers into big chunks and roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes. Put all the vegetables together in a bowl, sprinkle over the remaining salt, ground black pepper and chili flakes and mix them all and set aside.
• Add the flour in to the pot with sumac juice in and whisk it well together, ensuring there are not any lumps.
• When the lamb is brown, add in the vegetables and press them down in the pan. Pour over the sumac water (which should just cover the vegetables, add more if needed). Scatter around the chilled butter cubes and put the lid on. On a very low heat (the smallest ring is the best) let it simmer for 1 hour. Try not to lift the lid at all until it is cooked.
• After an hour turn off the heat and let it rest for 15 minutes or so. Serve it with a quarter teaspoon of crushed garlic for each serve. The best is to stir the garlic in, which makes the eggplants melt in the dish!

FISH AND EGGPLANT STEW

Steps:

• Remove any skin from the fish fillets and cut the fillets into 1-inch pieces; set aside.
• In a Dutch oven cook the onion and green pepper in hot cooking oil until the onion is tender but not brown. Once the onion is translucent, add the garlic and jalapeno pepper. Stir in undrained tomatoes, eggplant, tomato sauce, water, salt, ground red pepper, and creole seasoning. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes or until the eggplant is tender.
• Stir in okra and fish pieces. Cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes longer or until the okra is tender and the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork; stir occasionally while cooking.
• Ladle the stew into soup bowls. Spoon some hot cooked basmati rice atop each serving.

LAMB STEW WITH TURKISH FLAVORS

Steps:

• Pat lamb dry and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in a wide 5-to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown lamb on all sides in 3 batches until golden-brown, 4 to 5 minutes per batch, transferring to a plate with a slotted spoon.
• Add onions to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in vinegar and cook, scraping up brown bits, until vinegar has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Return lamb with meat juices to pot. Stir in stock, chickpeas, preserves, and spices (including Maras and Urfa pepper) and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.
• Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Add to stew (after 1 hour) and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes and lamb are tender, about 30 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in currants, oregano, and lemon juice. Season with salt.
• Serve sprinkled with additional Maras and Urfa pepper.

KHORESH-E BADEMJOON (PERSIAN LAMB, EGGPLANT AND TOMATO STEW)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, season lamb with turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
• Peel the eggplants but leave the green skin on the stem end intact. Trim the tips of the stems and make an incomplete lengthwise cut in each eggplant from the bottom, leaving both halves attached at the stem. Place eggplants in a colander set inside a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, set a large Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add 3 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers, add onion and cook, stirring regularly, until softened and browned, 16 to 18 minutes.
• Add the meat and cook, turning regularly, until it browns evenly on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 4 cups water and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
• In the meantime, rinse the eggplants, dry thoroughly and set aside. Remove stems and halve tomatoes through their cores and set aside. Line a baking sheet with two layers of paper towels and set aside.
• Set a large frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1/4 cup oil and carefully lay eggplants in the pan in a single layer. It's crucial to leave space between each eggplant for steam to escape, so brown in batches if necessary. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook, turning regularly, until eggplants are browned on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove browned eggplants to lined baking sheet and allow to drain.
• Use the same pan to brown tomatoes, cut-side down, in remaining 2 tablespoons oil for about 5 minutes. Flip and cook tomatoes on skin side until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes, then remove to lined baking sheet.
• Once the meat has cooked for 1 hour, stir in the tomato paste, saffron and 1/4 cup lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Carefully arrange the browned eggplants and tomatoes atop the stew and then sprinkle on the young grapes. Allow the stew to come to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, uncovered, until meat is falling apart and stew is thick and unctuous, about 1 hour. Without jostling the eggplants too much, taste a spoonful or two of the stew. It should be pleasantly tart, so adjust the seasoning with salt and lime juice as needed.
• Serve hot, with Persian rice and mast-o khiar, as well as pickles, fresh herbs, scallions and radishes, if desired.

KURDISH KUBBEH KHAMOUSTAH

Steps:

• Fry the meat cut in small piece, in a small amount of oil.
• Grind preserving the texture (not like ground meat).
• Prepare the dough for the koubbebot, by mixing all ingredients.
• Wet your hands, and shape walnut size pieces of it, like a thin.
• circle, fill with 1 tsp of meat and seal.
• At this stage, you can freeze the kubbeh patties.
• Heat the oil, fry the garlic until gold, add the scallions and the.
• pazzi mix well.
• Cook about 10 minutes.
• Cover with water and continue to cook.
• I usually replace the salt with some soup powder.
• When almost done add lemon juice and lemon salt to taste.
• Add the koubbebot to the boiling soup, and continue cooking about 15.
• minutes.

LAMB & EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) STEW

Steps:

• THE NIGHT BEFORE:.
• Prepare eggplant by laying on paper towels and sprinkling with salt.
• Let sweat for 15 minutes, blot water, turn over and repeat.
• Saute eggplant quarters in non-stick frying pan sprayed with Pam until tender but not limp.
• Store in refrigerator until ready to place in crock pot.
• Dredge lamb in flour.
• Heat oil in same non-stick frying pan.
• Saute lamb and garlic until meat is brown on all sides.
• Store in refrigerator dish along with onions, mint, turmeric, cinnamon, salt and pepper until ready to place in crock pot.
• IN THE MORNING BEFORE GOING TO WORK:.
• Spray crock pot with Pam.
• Place lamb, onion and spices in crock.
• Top with diced tomatoes.
• Stir just to combine.
• Lay eggplants over lamb mixture.
• Pour tomato sauce over eggplants.
• Top eggplants with slices of ripe tomato.
• Cook on low all day, up to 10 hours.
• Serve over basmati rice.

KURDISH KAHDEH

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix the flour and the salt
• Add water and mix until smooth and non sticky dough is achieved
• Cover and let rest for half hour
• Make dough balls about the size of golf ball
• Using a dough roller, flatten the balls to get about 4 inches in size wafers
• Spread some butter on top of the wafer
• Put about 1 tsp of shredded cheese in the center of the wafer
• Fold one side of the wafer over to create half circle
• Using your fingers pinch the edges so the two layer stick well
• Lay the pockets on a tray
• Spread small pieces of butter on top and around the pockets
• Pre heat oven to 400 deg F
• Bake the tray in the oven until top goldens and then turn the pocket over and bake until golden.