Turkish Style Beef And Eggplant Stew Recipes

DANA ETLI GUVEC TURKISH BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300O F
• In a large bowl, add the Turkish Red Pepper Paste, Paprika, sugar and salt and whisk to combine
• Layer beef cubes on the bottom of a 5 qt dutch oven
• Cover the beef with the onions, garlic and carrots
• Add the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant
• Pour the pepper paste mixture over the top, but do not stir
• Cover and place in the oven for 4 - 5 hours, until the meat is tender.
• Remove from oven and let sit, covered, for 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to combine

TURKISH EGGPLANT AND GROUND BEEF CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Begin by peeling your eggplants. Using a vegetable peeler, begin at one end and remove a strip of peel from end to end. Leave a strip of peel about the same width, then peel another strip from end to end.
• Repeat this until your eggplant is peeled in a striped pattern. Peel all eggplant this way.
• Slice the eggplants about 1/4-inch thick. Put all the eggplant slices in a large bowl of salty water and let them soak for about 30 minutes. This removes the bitterness.
• Slice the green pepper into thin rings. Grate 1 tomato. Peel and chop the onion finely and fry it in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until tender.
• Add the green pepper slices and continue frying until soft. Add the ground beef and fry until browned. Add the grated tomato, tomato paste, and spices.
• Cover the pan and let the meat simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Grate the other 3 tomatoes and put them in a small saucepan.
• Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, oregano, and sugar and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Remove the eggplant slices from the water and blot them dry with paper towels.
• Fry them on both sides in vegetable oil until tender and golden brown on both sides. Drain them well on paper towels.
• Line the bottom of a large baking tray with the fried eggplant slices to make a single layer. Make sure there are no gaps between the pieces.
• Spread the tomato sauce over the eggplant. Next, cover the tomato sauce layer with the meat mixture.
• In a large pan, melt the butter over high heat. Add the flour and turn it around a few times with a wooden spoon.
• Add the milk and seasonings and use a wire whisk to make the mixture smooth as it thickens. Your béchamel sauce is ready when it's the consistency of pudding.
• Pour the hot béchamel sauce over the meat layer, covering it completely. Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the top of the casserole.
• Bake the casserole in a 360 F / 180 C oven until the top turns golden brown.
• Remove the casserole from the oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting it into squares.
• Serve your musakka with Turkish-style rice pilaf.

BEEF AND EGGPLANT STEW (GREEK - CROCK POT VERSION)

Steps:

• Wash the eggplant, then top and tail.
• Don't bother to peel, just cut into 1 inch thick segments.
• In large skillet, brown the beef, onions, garlic and eggplant in olive oil until dark golden-brown; drain.
• Place in crock pot.
• Combine the beef stock with the tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, spices, and salt and pepper to taste, and stir it into the meat.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.
• If serving with pasta, prepare pasta until al dente, pour onto a large serving platter and cover with meat, eggplant and sauce (you may add the feta- it is delicious).
• Sprinkle minced parsley over.
• If serving on its own as a main course, garnish with parsley and feta, serve with a green salad, lots of crusty bread (the sauce has to be mopped up!), and plenty of red wine.

TURKISH-STYLE BRAISED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Trim ends off the eggplant. With a vegetable peeler, cut off alternating strips of skin. Cut eggplant into 1-inch cubes, place in a colander over a large bowl and toss with salt. Let sit for 30 minutes to 3 hours, rinse well and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible; do not break cubes up.
• In a large skillet or saucepan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the eggplant cubes and move them around occasionally, until they are rather tender and somewhat browned, about 7 minutes. Remove from the pan with tongs, leaving as much oil as possible in the pan. Set aside.
• Add remaining oil to the pan with the onions and pine nuts and stir occasionally, until the onions are transparent and some pine nuts are lightly browned, 7 or 8 minutes.
• Return eggplant to the pan with the tomato, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, cumin and pepper. Mix well, then turn heat to low. Cover the pan and cook until the eggplant is very tender but still in distinct pieces, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring once or twice, until the liquid is somewhat thickened, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Remove the pan from heat and let sit uncovered until it is at room temperature, about 45 minutes. Stir in the dill and parsley, adjust the seasonings to taste and serve, accompanied by yogurt and lemon wedges for squeezing.

TURKISH BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper to taste and allspice.
• Brown in batches in a couple of tablespoons of the olive oil at a time, with the onions and garlic.
• Place in a 5 litre Dutch oven, add tomatoes. If you're using whole tomatoes rather than diced, break them up a bit with a spoon. Sprinkle with thyme and oregano, add bay leaves. You can add more salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring to a boil, then decrease heat, cover and simmer for about 3 hours or till the beef is fork tender.
• If sauce gets too thick, you can add some water. If it gets too thin, bring to a boil and reduce, but do not add any flour.
• Note: my Dad used to do this in a pressure cooker all the time to save time, you can certainly do this but make sure you have enough liquid (I would probably add another can of tomatoes) and pressure cook for about 25 minutes.